Slender Blind
by kairi's friend
Summary: Slender Man catches you only when you see him. But Trevor is blind. The two form an unlikely bond that is put to the test when Slenders and humans alike are all threatened.
1. The Game

"Don't look at its face!"

Trevor sighs. "Was that supposed to be a joke?" he deadpans.

His friend, Kevin, chuckles nervously. "Sorry, buddy."

"Mmhmm." Trevor gropes around for a chocolate bar before he feels one and grabs it. "Sure you are," he says as he opens the wrapper.

"I swear I didn't mean-"

"I'm just messin' with ya," Trevor grins, taking a bite of his chocolate bar. He loves teasing people, especially when it came to his blindness.

Kevin gives him a friendly punch in the shoulder. "Man, you and Slender Man will be the death of me."

"What is happening in the game right now?" Trevor has only heard of the game _Slender_, but because of his blindness never played it.

A drum bangs. "Oh, God," Kevin says. Trevor can hear the tapping of keys as Kevin moves his character. "Come on, come on, come on," he mutters.

"What does that drum mean?"

"It means Slender Man is close by." A few more taps. "Phew, I think we're safe."

Trevor listens to his friend play the game for a few more minutes. Kevin manages to find three pages before he cries out, "Noooo!" A static-y noise can be heard.

"I take it you died?" Trevor says as he finishes his chocolate bar.

"Yes," Kevin fake-sobs. "My life's work down the drain." A moment of silence. "So, you wanna order pizza?"

"Sure."

Trevor feels the couch move as Kevin stands up. Trevor lounges on the couch. He tilts his head back, his eyelids slowly closing…

"Mittens!"

Trevor's eyes shoot open, though that doesn't help him much. He uses the wooden table in front of the couch as support as he rises to his feet. Grabbing the walking stick that is leaning against the couch next to him, he makes his way into what his nose detects as the kitchen. "What's wrong, Kevin?"

"My sister's cat just ran out the door! Oh, Jenna is gonna kill me if she finds out I let her cat get out!"

"How did the cat get out?"

"I was going out to dump the garbage, but I didn't realize Mittens was right behind me until I opened the door and she darted out." The frequency of Kevin's footsteps betrays his pacing. "What am I gonna do? I have to leave now if I'm gonna drive to Round Table to pick up our pizza, but the sun's going down and then there's no way we'll find Mittens before Jenna gets home!"

"I'm sure Mittens couldn't have gotten far," Trevor says. "Go get the pizza, and when you're done, if I haven't found her by then, we'll both go out and look for her."

"Wait, you're not thinking about going out by yourself, are you?"

"I'll stay close to the block."

"No, no way, Trevor. You stay here until I get back."

"I'll be fine, and I'll be quick." The two argue for a couple minutes before Kevin agrees to leave now. Trevor promises to stay within the house until Kevin gets back.

After hearing the engine of his friend's car fade in the distance, Trevor turns and makes his way through the house to the backyard. There is a fence surrounding the yard (he remembers walking into it once) and a bench near the back door. Trevor lowers himself onto the bench, breathing in the fresh scent of the forest just past the back fence.

RREEOOWWW!

Trevor's ears perk up. "Mittens?" He hears laughter – not the happy, joking kind but the mean, cruel kind. He hears a cat hiss, and it doesn't take him long to put two and two together: some punks have Mittens and are hurting her.

"Hey!" he shouts, standing up and making his way to the fence. "Leave that cat alone!"

"What do you care about a little cat, Blind Eyes?" one of the kids sneers. The others laugh at this jeer.

Trevor's used to insults like this, though it still makes his blood boil. "Give me that cat and you won't get hurt." Despite being blind, Trevor is very brave and stubborn.

The gang starts a chorus of "ooh"s. "Think you're so tough?" the kid (obviously the leader) says, pushing Trevor back.

After regaining his balance, Trevor says, "I'm warning you. If you don't listen, you will be sorry."

"Tough words for such a weak guy." His friends then goad him on in a fight. "Get ready to feel – oh my God, what is **that**?"

His friends stop their goading. Trevor can almost picture them all frozen in place. He wonders how poor Mittens is doing.

"Oh my God!" the leader kid says again.

"What's it doing?" another kid nearly shouts.

"That's not normal!" another whines.

Trevor can't make out any more words. They're all a jumble as they all shout at once. Their voices get softer and softer, so he thinks they've all run away. "Kevin?" he calls out. Did his friend come home early and hear the commotion outside? He knows his friend is super flexible and strong (gymnastics and tae kwon do will do that to a guy). Were the punks weirded out by him?

"Excuse me," hisses an unknown voice.

Trevor turns his head to the sound. "Sir?"

"I believe I have your cat." Trevor feels something small, warm, and furry thrust into his hand not holding his walking stick.

"Mittens!" He hugs the kitten to his face, feels the soft, warm fur against his cheek. "Thank you, sir. Do you live around here?"

The voice says, "I live in the forest. Some would call me a wanderer. Everyone avoids me because I am different."

"I understand that completely. I was born blind, so most people are afraid to come up to me. But my parents kept telling me what makes us different makes us special."

"They were right. I'm glad you, at least, are not judgmental to appearances."

"…Well, thank you for finding my friend's cat."

"You're welcome. And if you ever need help again, just call out for Mr. Slender."

"Mr. Slender?"

"You've got it." A chill fills the air as a fog descends.

Trevor shivers a little. "Odd. There wasn't any fog forecasted on the Weather Channel." He shrugs and turns and makes his way to the back door. Setting his stick against the wall by the door, he opens up the door enough to gently toss the cat through. Trevor then grabs his stick and walks through, unaware that Slender Man has been watching him from behind a tree. He watches as Trevor shuts the glass door and makes his way to a couch. "Maybe," Slender says to himself, slowly turning and walking away. "Just maybe…"


	2. Meeting

Slender Man wanders the forest. Life is lonely when there's no one to share it with. Whenever someone comes into the woods, he tries to approach them slowly, but once they get a look at him, they run away in fear. Sometimes it makes him sad, sometimes he likes chasing off miscreants and troublemakers. But it's hard being someone like him: a Slender.

The only person who never seemed afraid of him was that blind kid. He actually talked to him. No one's ever done that before. The kid seemed nice, but Slender Man hasn't seen him in a while. He thought of leaving notes on the trees for the kid to find – only to remember the kid was blind, so he wouldn't be able to see the notes. Sigh. Another potential friend come and gone.

Trevor leans his forehead against the cool glass of the bus window. It's been a couple weeks since he met Mr. Slender. What's that guy been up to? Trevor wishes he knew how to contact him, but he didn't get his number or address. Just instructions that whenever he needed help to call for Mr. Slender. Well, Trevor doesn't need help, but he wonders if he could give that call a try.

The bus comes to a stop. He grabs a nearby pole to help him up, then uses his stick to find the exit. He remembers the step this time. Last time, he forgot about it and ended up falling to the ground. Trevor walks down the street, keeping to the fences so he can feel for his family's mailbox. It's the only one with a huge dent in the right side. He finally finds it when he hears, "Hey, you!"

Trevor freezes. He recognizes that voice as one of the punks who tried to hurt his friend's sister's cat, Mittens.

Footsteps are approaching him fast. Trevor fumbles with the gate lock and slips through, doing his best to hurry to the front door without tripping. The footsteps are louder, closer. He makes it to the front door, but before he can pull his keys out of his pocket, he's grabbed and thrown back. He loses his stick in the process.

"We thought you'd be dead," says the first voice.

"Yeah," a second one agrees. "Especially after Slender Man showed up."

_Slender Man_? _Of course_, Trevor thinks. _That explains why his name's Mr. Slender. But…if he's so evil, why did he save me and Mittens?_ He feels around for his stick, but yelps when a shoe steps down on his hand.

"We'll just pick on you, since we don't have that cat," the first voice sneers. The others laugh along.

Trevor wishes someone would see them and come to his help. It's only early evening, but still people should be able to see them. Wait a minute. "Mister Slender!" Trevor shouts. He groans in pain when someone shoves his head face-down.

"Quiet you!" the voice hisses.

A chill fills the air as some sort of fog descends.

"What the-"

"Not again!"

"There he is!"

And on and on the voices go. Trevor would roll his eyes, but it's hard getting control of his eyeballs, so he just stares off into space. He feels the weight get off of him.

"No!" says the first voice, probably the leader. "You're not gonna stop us this-" The voice is cut off.

The others scream. Trevor hears them run away. Even though he's sure they're gone, he remains where he is lying on the ground in front of his house. Someone grabs his arms and gently helps him up, while his cane is thrust into his hand. "Mister Slender?" Trevor asks.

"It's a good thing you called for me when you did," Mr. Slender says.

"Are you the Slender Man?"

A silence hangs in the air. "…Yes, I am."

Trevor smiles. "Cool."

"You don't mind?" Mr. Slender sounds surprised.

"Nah, unless you were gonna take me away. You're not gonna do that are you?"

"No. I only do that with really annoying people, like that leader of those thugs."

"What did happen to him? One minute he's here talking, and the next his voice got cut off."

Mr. Slender hesitates. "I teleported him to a...jail of sorts."

"How did you do that?"

Silence.

"If you don't want to tell me," Trevor says quickly, "that's fine, too….Hey, wanna come inside for something? Water or coffee or cookies?"

"I've never been invited anywhere before."

"Really? That's sad." Trevor fishes in his pocket for his house keys. He finds them and feels for the longest one. He unlocks the door and pushes it open, standing aside for his guest. "Come on in."

He feels a chill pass him. "Thank you," Mr. Slender calls from inside.

Trevor steps inside and shuts the door. "So, what would you like?"

"Some water would be fine."

"Okay." Trevor makes his way to the kitchen, where he feels around for the refrigerator door and opens it. The cool air flows from inside, and it feels good on his cheeks. He reaches inside and pulls out a water bottle. He carries it into the other room and says, "Here you go."

He feels Slender Man take the bottle from his outstretched hand. "Thank you."

"Hey, it just occurred to me," Trevor says as he makes his way to a chair. "You're supposed to be faceless, right? So, how do you eat or drink?"

An eerie silence fills the air.

"Hello?"

"I'm here. I just have no easy answer for now."

"I see." He chuckles at his own joke. Awkward silence. "So, where do you live?"

"I prefer living in forests. I travel around a lot." He sighs. "It's hard being a Slender."

"What do you mean?"

"We're just so different from you humans, and-"

"Wait, there are more like you?"

"Of course there are."

"Sorry, it's just that, I've only ever heard about you."

Slender Man hangs his head. "That was an accident. I didn't mean to get involved."

"Get involved? What do you mean?"

Slender looks at his friend. He really wants to keep a friend (he hasn't had one in years), but he's afraid if he tells Trevor, he won't want to be his friend anymore. But, it's better Trevor finds out the truth from him first. "I'll tell you," he finally says, "but you may not like it."

"Maybe," Trevor says. "Maybe not."


	3. Slender Man's Story

**A/N: This chapter explains why Slender Man looks and acts the way he does. Sorry for making you read so much in one chapter.**

James walks along the edge of the forest. His father had warned him about the dangers of being spotted by humans, but James, being a daredevil, would ignore his father's advice. Besides, he would tell his father, Slenders and humans have been against each other for long enough. Someone's gotta make the first move toward tolerance.

The sun's going down, and soon all the Slenders will come out of hiding. James doesn't find it fair that Slenders are the ones who should go into hiding. What did Slenders ever do to deserve this?

He spots a little boy up ahead. _Why is a child out alone at this late hour?_ he wonders. Even though he's far away, he can tell the boy is scared and crying. It's a sixth sense all Slenders have. James looks around, but there aren't any houses anywhere near here. The boy must be lost. Pulling the hood of his cloak over his face (as his father always instructed), he approaches the child and says, "Pardon me, are you lost?"

The little boy looks up at him with a pouty face. "I wanna go home," he wails.

James kneels down. "Do you know where you live? I can always take you home."

"My parents told me not to go off with strangers."

"Mine say the same thing - except they view everyone as strangers, so it gets very lonely and boring. I'd much rather have a friend." He sets a hand on the child's shoulder. "Would you like to be my friend?"

The kid sniffs and nods.

"Wonderful. Now let's get you home." James stands and picks the boy up in his arms.

"You're pretty tall," the child says, calming down.

James chuckles. "Everyone in my family is tall. Now, I need you to tell me where you live."

"Um, I live in a blue house...it's by Chestnut Park."

"Got it." The pressure changes around them, and all of a sudden they're standing right in front of the boy's house.

"Whoa!" He squirms out of James' arms. "How did you do that?"

Uh oh. James' father never told him what to say to humans when they asked that. In fact, his father told him not to talk to humans at all. "It's...magic."

"Cool! My friend's magic!" James laughs as he follows the boy up to the front door. The boy looks up at him with big eyes. "Can you come inside?"

"Not tonight." _My father would kill me!_ "Maybe I'll see you at the park sometime."

"Okay. Bye, mister!"

James waves goodbye, but he hides behind a nearby tree, just to make sure the kid gets in okay.

The little boy knocks on the door, and it's opened soon after by a woman in her early 30's. "Charlie!" she cries, scooping up the boy in a huge hug. "Where have you been? Your father and I were looking for you, but we couldn't find you! We called the police, but they didn't know anything!"

"Susan!" A man runs into view, but stops when he sees Charlie. His jaw drops, and he joins the hug. "My son!"

"A tall man took me home by magic," Charlie tells them, proud of the fact.

His parents exchange worried looks. "Charlie," the mother, Susan, says, "did you know this man?"

"No."

"What did we tell you about talking to strangers?"

"But he was nice. He just wanted a friend."

"Well, at least you're safe now," the father says. He pokes his head out the door, looks both ways, then shuts the door. James turns to head home, but he spots something in the window. He cranes his neck so he can see the TV. The parents must have been watching something while waiting to hear from the police. On the screen are two men dressed in black suits. _That looks pretty cool_. James stares down at the clothes he's wearing: simple, loose pants and a shirt. Plus the cloak. _I'll have to get a suit like that._ He teleports himself back into the middle of the forest.

Already the Slenders are gathering. He spots one and hurries up to her. "Hello, Margareta," he says.

"Hello, James. Where were you? Kendrick and I were looking for you earlier."

"Oh, just...hanging out by the edge of the forest."

She sighs. "Always testing the boundaries."

"It's really not as bad as my father says. You and Kendrick should come with me sometime and check it out."

Her head lowers. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. Just forget about the rules for once! They're obsolete anyways!"

"Obsolete?" James turns around. There, standing a few yards away, is his father, wearing a thick cloak over his black tunic and black pants. He steps toward his son, hands behind his back. "These rules keep us alive, James. Whether you think they're obsolete or not, they protect you, so they will stay."

"But, Father, you keep telling us that humans can't be trusted, that they could bring an end to our people. You've never tried to get to know them!"

"Do you remember the story of your great-great-great-grandfather?"

James growls. _Not this story again_. He feels an arm wrap around him, and he sees Margareta give him an assuring nod.

His father begins to pace as he recounts, "He lived in the Black Forest near a German village, too shy to approach anybody. The one time he did, however, was during one of their festivals. It looked like fun, seeing all the humans dancing, singing, and feasting, and he went out to join them. Not long after they saw him, however, they screamed and almost killed him. If the rest of his clan hadn't been hiding in the forest, he would have been killed. The humans followed them into the forest, where they killed half the clan. They would have killed the others, but the forest was too dark, and humans can't see as well in the dark as Slenders can."

"Then he made the rules that we couldn't go out and see humans," James finishes boredly. "I get it. But that was a long time ago! Humans have changed."

"How do you know, James?"

"I don't, but we have to give them a chance. Maybe they were scared by Great-Great-Great-Grandpa John sneaking up on them."

"We can't take that risk. Besides, you know what humans are doing to our forests. All over the world, trees are cut down for human greed. Just imagine what they'll do to us if they find out we exist. I can't risk that of our people."

James throws his hands in the air and makes a noise of disgust. He storms off, leaving his father and Margareta behind. "James Nightfall Slenderman, you get back here!" his father says, but that just makes him run faster.

* * *

James angrily throws rocks into the lake. Why does his father have to be so closed-minded? Just because he's the head of the clan.

He knows Margareta is hiding in the bushes before he can hear her. "What are you doing here?" he grumbles, picking up another rock.

"I came to make sure you're okay," she says, approaching him.

"I'm okay. Perfectly fine," he says sarcastically.

"No, you're not." She brings a hand to his cheek and turns his face so he can see her - figuratively speaking. "I know you don't like the rules, and I don't blame you. They do become hard to deal with. But please be patient. We can't risk anything now, not when developers are planning to tear down the forest."

He reaches up and pulls her hand from his face, holding it in his own. "Maybe that's why we should risk everything now."

"James-"

"Look, the humans don't understand what the forests mean to us. If we keep hiding, they'll just keep taking what they want. Someone has to make the first move."

"And I agree. But please, wait. It's almost time for your father to pass on the family job to you. Maybe then you could do something."

He wraps his long arms around her, pulling her to him. "Maybe," he says. But in his mind, he thinks, _I'm going to the park tomorrow. I'll see if I can get the boy on my side_.

* * *

James hides behind a tree near Chestnut Park, watching the people come and go. He watches Susan take Charlie into the park, and he teleports behind a tree within the park. He nervously tugs at the collar of his new white shirt. He'd spent a good part of last night making his new black suit with a white shirt and red tie. He likes how the new outfit feels - but it doesn't have a hood or any way of concealing his face. Whatever happens today, everyone will know he's a Slender. No turning back.

Actually, that was the plan he came up with last night while the Slenders were mingling and planning how to take back the forests. James plans to approach Charlie when he's pretty much left alone, tell him the Slenders need help, and hope the child will be kind enough to agree. He's hoping if enough people see how friendly he and Charlie are, they'll be more sympathetic to the Slenders.

He patiently waits behind the tree. It's in his nature as a Slender to be still and patient. Charlie plays with his friends on the grassy field while his mother sits on a bench and chats with friends. Finally, Charlie heads his way in a game of hide-and-seek. His laughter ceases when he rounds the tree and sees James. He gasps, but then remembers, "Hey! You're my magic friend!"

"I am. I have to ask you something, Charlie."

"What?"

_He looks so innocent with those huge brown eyes._ "It's about...well, I, uh..." James rubs the back of his head. "I really don't know how to say this."

"Charlie?" A kid runs around the tree. "Found ya!" Her eyes trail up to James' featureless face, and her grin becomes a wide O. "Who's that?"

_She's not screaming._

"He's my magic friend," Charlie says proudly.

The little girl waves at James, still wide-eyed.

"I wanted to ask Charlie for help," he tells the kids.

"With what?"

"You see, there are people who want to destroy my home."

"Well, that's not very nice," the little girl says, crossing her arms.

_Such sweet kids_. "You're right. It's not. I'm hoping I can get enough people to help me and my family."

"We'll help you," Charlie says. "I'll go tell my mom right now." He runs out from behind the tree.

A man with shades, a T-shirt, and really loose jeans approaches the boy. A boom sounds in James' head. Another gift Slenders have is the ability to tell someone's motive. Anyone who is shady in any way sends a boom through their minds, an instant warning. "Miss," he tells the girl, holding a hand out, "stay here."

"What are you gonna do?" She gasps when he extends a tentacle-like arm from his torso. "What's that?" she nearly shrieks.

He shushes her. "Think of me as a protector. That man right there isn't very nice, and I have to get Charlie away from him." James lowers his new arm to the ground and snakes it over to the bad man. He spots the stranger pull something out of his back pocket. An explosive.

James extends another tentacle arm out and also snakes it towards the two. "Hey, Lily," another kid says as he and his pal meet up with the little girl. "Who's the tall guy?"

"He's a protector," Lily says. "He's helping Charlie."

"Cool!" the other kid says. "Can you teach me how to make arms come out of my sides, too?"

"Maybe later," James says. He manipulates one arm behind the stranger and the other behind Charlie. When the stranger holds out the explosive for Charlie to take, James grabs the stranger's ankle and yanks him down. At the same time, he wraps his arm around Charlie's waist and pulls him behind the tree.

"Whoa, cool!" the kids are saying.

Charlie laughs. "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

If James could smile, he would. But another boom sounds in his mind. He looks over and sees the strange man getting to his feet. He spots the group of kids and comes over. _He's not going to hurt them_, James thinks. _Not on my watch_.

The stranger rounds the tree - and stares up at James in fear. "Monster!" he screams.

This got the attention of every adult in the park. Some of the nearby adults scream when they see James' face (or lack thereof) and his tentacle arms. "Leave those children alone!" someone shouts rushing forward to pull the kids away.

"He wasn't hurting us," Lily tries to tell them.

The strange man grabs Charlie's hand and starts to lead him away.

"Hey!" James shouts. "Let go of that boy!" He shoots a tentacle arm out and hits the stranger smack in the chest, making him release Charlie.

Susan runs over, and her eyes widen when she spots James. "Charlie, we're going home right now!" She grabs her son's hand and pulls him away.

"But, Mom," he whines, "he saved me. He needs help." He complains louder as his mother picks him up and carries him out of the park, nearly breaking into a run.

James can't believe this. They just took one look at him, and they're afraid? Isn't someone gonna give him a chance to explain things?

The stranger moans, rolling over onto his stomach. James extends a hand in front of each of the remaining three kids and leans forward. "Just try to take them, you monster," he growls.

The stranger pushes himself up and attempts to glare at James, but he's too scared. "M-Monster?" he says. "Ha! You're the monster!"

"_I_ don't try to hurt children," James says. If he had eyes, he would've narrowed them, and if he had a mouth, he's make it curl into a sneer.

"Lily!" a man calls, running up to the small group. He freezes when he sees James. "Lily, get away from that thing!"

The stranger scrambles to his feet. "I was trying to save the kids," he lies, "but that monster attacked me and threatened me!"

"That's not true!" one of the other kids shouts.

"Lily, we're going home right now." Her father grabs her hand and quickly leads her away from the group.

Sirens blare, and a police car pulls up. _Oh, great. My father's going to kill me_.

"Hold it right there!" one of the policemen shouts, stepping out of the car and aiming a gun at James.

The driver also gets out and aims his gun at the Slender. "Step away from the children!"

Wait, why are they pointing their guns at _him?_ He was trying to help the kids, not hurt them. He lifts a hand up -

BANG! James gives a cry as he grabs his main arm. Did that man actually just _shoot him?!_

"Step away from those kids!" the police officer says again.

_God, help those kids_, he thinks as he teleports back to the forest.

"James?" his father says, walking out from behind a tree. "Where have you been? Your mother and I - what happened to you?" He gently takes his son's arm and inspects the bullet wound. "How did this happen?"

James keeps silent, too ashamed to tell his father. _You were right, Father. You were right about the humans_.

* * *

For nearly a week, James stays inside the forest. His arm is healed, but it feels sore whenever he moves it too much, too long. He would come out and greet the other Slenders, but he wouldn't partake in any of the festivities. He just wasn't feeling up to it. He's sitting on a tree branch in the middle of the afternoon reading a book - when he hears voices. He cocks his head and focuses on them.

"This is kinda creepy," one of the voices says.

"What, you scared of going into the big, dark, forest?" the other one mocks.

"No!" the first voice quickly defends. "I just...don't want to run into a bear."

"There aren't any bears in this forest. And even if there are, I brought my gun, so we don't have to worry about them."

_Gun_. That word sends a chill down James' spine. If those two find the Slender clan, they could kill them. He teleports his book back to camp and silently climbs down, bracing himself for whatever's to come.

He sees two people in the distance among the trees, both boys, most likely in their late teens. "But what about that slender fellow?" the first boy says. "You know, the one that tried to kidnap those children in the park?"

_Are they talking about me? I never tried to kidnap those children!_

His friend motions to his gun, strapped to his side. "I can use my gun on him, too. It worked to get rid of him before."

The first boy doesn't look too sure.

James has to warn his clan before they get seriously hurt. If these boys are anything like the adults at the park, they won't give him a chance to explain; they'll shoot first, ask questions later.

The first boy freezes. "What's that?" he asks fearfully. James realizes the boy is looking straight at him.

"What's what?" the second boy glances around, but obviously doesn't see him.

"There." His friend points right at James.

_Uh oh_.

The second boy finally spots James. "Oh, my God!" He scrambles to get his gun ready, but James teleports back to the center of the forest, where the rest of his clan is resting.

"Everybody, you have to leave now!" he tells them.

"Aww, why?" Kendrick asks, lounging on a branch above.

"There are boys in this forest with a gun."

That gets everyone's attention. "Where are they at?" James' father asks.

"I think they're a few miles away."

"Good. That gives us just enough time." He turns to the other Slenders. "Warn as many people as you can! We'll meet up in the Black Forest! Go!"

Everyone scrambles around before disappearing one, two, or three at a time. Margareta runs up to James. "I'm going with you," she says.

"No, Margareta, you need to go now."

"I don't want to be without you."

James' heart melts. Taking her by the arms, he pulls her closer and says, "I don't want to be without you either. But you have to go now. I'll meet you in the Black Forest."

She nods glumly. "Fine, but take this." She takes off her gray jacket and hands it to him. "Make sure you bring it back to me," she tells him before vanishing.

BANG!

"No." James whips around to the direction of the sound - and sees his father lying on the ground, clutching his side. "Father!" He runs up to his dad and kneels beside him. "No-"

"Don't worry, son," he says through gritted teeth. "They didn't get me." He moves his hand to show his dented, silver belt buckle. "Though it really stings."

"Here, let me help you up."

"Where'd that creep go?" one of the boys says. He sounds nearby.

"There's no time," his father hisses. "We have to go now."

James nods his head, but realizes he left Margareta's jacket behind. "I have to get something first."

"No, we need to go now."

"I understand. I promise I'll meet up with you soon."

Too impatient to argue, his father nods. "Take care," he says before vanishing.

"Look what I found," one of the boys says.

_The jacket_. James whirls around and zips behind a tree. He leans out enough to see the boys looking at the jacket.

"Looks like it belongs to a woman," one of the teens says.

"Where could she be though?" the other wonders, looking around. He freezes when he sees James. "It's the Slender Man!"

His friend looks up. "You got her," he says before cocking his gun. "You got that woman! Where is she?"

"Somewhere you'll never find her," James says, glad that Margareta left when she did.

Their eyes widen. "Oh, my God!" the first friend shouts. "You killed that lady!"

"What? No, I-"

He teleports out of the way in time, as the second teen fired his gun. He's right behind him, and he grabs them and lifts them up. Even though they're wriggling to get out, he keeps a strong hold on them. "Let us go, you bald creep!" the boy with the gun says. He aims the gun again.

James whips out another arm to whack the gun out of the boy's hand. He wants to say something - anything - to these boys, about how humans are reckless creatures. But he holds his tongue. This is not the venue for his anger - and anyways, he can't get Charlie and those little kids out of his mind. No matter how bad the rest of the humans are, those four kids were the nicest beings he'd ever met. For their sake, he will not become the monster everyone thinks him to be.

"Please!" the first friend begs. "Don't hurt us!"

James deliberates a moment longer, before dropping them on the ground and teleporting away. He takes deep breaths, something he does to calm himself down. "Where'd he go?" he hears. He growls. _Stupid humans_, he thinks. _Can't they just leave me alone?_

That gives him an idea. He spots his book several yards away and shoots a hand out to snatch it. He rips out one of the blank pages and looks around for something to write with. He senses the boys heading his way and knows he has no time. Scratching his finger on the rough tree bark, he writes his message in blood. He then sticks the page to the tree, where it stays. James presses on his wound to make it stop and heal quickly and teleports behind another tree just as the boys stumble into view.

"I swear, I thought I saw him," says the more paranoid of the two. His eyes dart around anxiously and settle on the page. "Hey, Dave?" The boy walks forward and peels the page off the tree.

"What is it this time, Bob?" Dave grumbles, checking how many bullets are left in his gun.

"Look at this." Bob shows the page to his friend. "It says, 'Leave me alone.'"

"You think it's from that creep?"

Bob gulps and nods his head.

James watches from behind his tree as the boys argue about whether or not to hunt for the Slender Man. _Seriously?_ he thinks. _"Slender Man?" What, they couldn't come up with anything more original?_ It feels like forever, but finally the boys decide to leave. Dave says it's because he's almost out of bullets, but James could see the flicker in his eyes, despite trying to act tough. He lets out a breath and leans against the tree, sliding down to the ground. Finally, the humans are gone. Good thing all the Slenders are gone, including Margareta.

Margareta! Her jacket! He teleports back to the main spot and finds her jacket lying on the ground, a bit dirty from being dropped there. James picks it up. "Time to take you back to your owner," he says aloud. Holding tight to the gray fabric, he appears in the Black Forest.

It's nighttime here, and he can here crickets chirping. Funny, he doesn't seem to sense any Slender nearby. Maybe he's still shaken up from his encounter with the humans. James walks further into the forest and tries again. Still, he can't sense anybody. But, this is where they were supposed to meet, right?

"Father?" he calls out. He doesn't care if any humans find him. "Father!" He's answered by silence.

"Guten abend," someone says.

James turns around and sees a Slender from another clan. This fellow is dressed in a white shirt with brown leiderhosen. "Um, hello," James says. "Have you seen a Slender clan come this way?"

The German Slender asks, "Is dis clan led by Paul Slenderman?"

"Yes! That's my father!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but zey just left ze Black Forest." James' heart falls. "Somezing about getting to safety."

James slumps his shoulders and hangs his head. He's missed them. "How could they just leave me behind?" he wonders.

"I'm sorry," the German Slender says again, resting a hand on James' shoulder. "Zey vere here for a couple hours, most likely vaiting for you." It occurs to James then how long he took back in the other forest. "But zey had to keep moving."

"I understand," James says glumly.

"You are alvays velcome to join my clan, if you'd like."

James gently removes the fellow's hand from his shoulder. "No, thank you."

"Vell, if you ever change your mind, just call for Alder Grobman."

James nods and mumbles a farewell, teleporting back to his old home. He sinks to his knees. _I'm alone__. I have nobody...I brought this on myself._ He looks at the jacket still in his hand. _I can't risk putting anyone else in harm's way again, because of my stupidity. I'll never join another clan_.


	4. Friends

"Wow," Trevor says, taking in everything. "And you've been on your own since?"

"Yes," James Slenderman says with a sigh. "I never saw my clan again. I have no clue where they are - or if they're still alive. I still have Margareta's jacket. Even if I never see her again, it's a small piece of her I can always have with me."

"I'm sorry," Trevor says. "You shouldn't have had to go through all that."

This is not the reaction James is expecting. "You're not mad? Or scared?"

Trevor shakes his head. "Why should I be? Besides, you can't help being different than everyone else. Trust me, I know."

It occurs to James right then how similar they are. They look different, for sure, but they both have been singled out and have had to struggle with their differences. He reaches out and pats Trevor's arm. "Thank you for listening."

"You're welcome." Trevor smiles. "So, about this Margareta...Did you like her?"

It's a good thing Slenders can't blush; otherwise James would look like a tomato. "I did. I was very close to her and her brother Kendrick. We spent nearly every day together - until that day in the park. After that, I couldn't bring myself to hang out with anybody. Margareta would sit next to me and we'd talk, but she never pushed me to do anything else."

Trevor extends a hand out, and it takes him a few tries before he manages to lay a hand on James' shoulder. "It's okay, James. You'll find her again."

"I like your optimism, Trevor."

"Thanks. It helps me get through the day." He pauses for a moment before asking, "So, what's so special about forests? You said something about humans not understanding their importance?"

"Well, forests are the primary home of all Slenders," James explains. "Sure, we can go off and live somewhere else, but we thrive best around trees. Plus, we can easily hide behind a tall tree, not so much behind a small shrub."

Trevor laughs.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just imagining you trying to crouch down behind a bush." He laughs again, and James joins in. It feels good to laugh.

Even so, when they've calmed down, James sighs. "I miss Margareta. I miss them."

"Want me to help you find them?"

"How can you do that? You can't see anything."

"Yeah, but I have a friend who knows everything about Slender...well, the game and myth anyway."

James is silent for a moment, considering it. He trusts Trevor enough, but what if his friend tries to hurt him? Or what if he calls the police? But it would be wonderful seeing his family and clan again. "Alright. We'll go see your friend. What's his name?"

"Kevin. I was at his house the day we first met."

"Right, I remember you were looking for that cat."

"Yeah. So, ready to go?"

"You mean now?"

"Sure. The sooner, the better."

James shrugs. "Alright." They stand, James grabs his friend's shoulder, and he teleports them in Kevin's backyard. Trevor can tell because of the fresh air. "I'll be behind the tree if you need me," James says.

Trevor nods and, tapping the ground with his stick, he makes his way to the glass back door and knocks twice.

He hears muffled sounds through the door, and a minute later, the door slides open. "Trevor?" Kevin says, obviously surprised. "What are you doing here? And in my backyard?"

"I wanted to know if you could help my friend," Trevor replies. "You see, he's-"

"Who's that?" a voice calls from inside.

Kevin shouts back, "It's a friend of mine."

The other boy walks in from the other room. James gawks at him from behind the tree. "_Charlie?!_"


	5. Charlie

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I wanted to get it right. Hope you enjoy it! Please R&R!**

"You said something about helping a friend?" Kevin says.

Trevor nods. "Can we both come in?"

James freezes.

"Sure, but, uh, where is he? I don't see him."

Before Trevor turns around, he tells the boys, "Try not to freak out too much." With a nod from them, he calls out, "You can come out now. Kevin's not gonna hurt you."

James hesitates, but he shuffles out from behind the tree. Charlie gasps, and Kevin screams, but Charlie covers his mouth. Trevor laughs. "You sound like a little girl," he says.

Charlie stares at James and whispers, "You."

James stares down at their shoes, but then realizes no one can tell, so he adds, "Hello, Charlie."

Kevin pulls his friend's hand away from his mouth and says with wide eyes, "Wait, you know him?"

"It's been years," Charlie says.

An awkward silence passes before Trevor speaks up, "So, Kevin, think you can help us?"

Kevin just stands there and stares with his mouth open for a minute before shaking his head clear. "Uh, sure, yeah, just let me, uh, get my computer." Kevin steps inside the house and hurries to get his stuff.

Trevor turns to Charlie and smiles. "So, you're the little boy James met. Nice to meet you." He holds his hand out.

Charlie just stares at the Slender. "Your name is James?"

He nods. "My full name is James Nightfall Slenderman."

"I always thought you were just 'Slender Man.'"

James groans. "I remember hearing two punks call me that in a forest. 'Slender Man,' I mean, really."

Trevor draws his hand back. "Nice to meet another Slender friend."

But Charlie gives James a doubtful look. "I heard about what you did in Midtown a few years ago."

"Midtown?" James says, scratching his head. "I've never heard of Midtown."

"You were responsible for the disappearances and deaths of several people," Charlie explains.

"What? I never killed anybody! I would _never_ kill anybody!"

"Then how did witnesses see you hiding in the shadows?" Charlie asks.

Trevor speaks up, "James would never hurt anybody. Like that day in the park, he was trying to protect you."

Charlie says, "He also made my parents think I was being taken by the devil." He glares at the Slender. "You have no idea what my life's been like since you left me."

"What, no, I didn't leave you. Your mother took you away."

"But you didn't do anything about it."

James remains silent, hangs his head.

Kevin appears with his laptop. "Come on in, you two," he says. "What did you wanna know?"

Trevor taps his way inside and says, "We're looking for something to do with Slenders and forests and see if you can find 'Margareta' anywhere."

Charlie gives James a look as he steps inside. "Is she one of your proxies?" he asks.

James cocks his head. "Proxies? What are proxies?"

Kevin and Charlie stare. "Don't you know what proxies are?"

"No," he says, sitting down in the plush chair. "I'm isolated in the forests, and I don't like coming out any more often than I have to. All my news of your world I hear from people travelling through the forest."

Kevin asks Trevor, "Are you sure this is Slender Man?"

"His name is James," Trevor says defensively, sitting down on the couch. "And yes, he's a Slender."

"But he doesn't even know what proxies are!"

"Dude, _I_ don't even know what proxies are!"

Charlie explains, "Basically, proxies are people who are enslaved by Slender Man and turned into zombies."

"What?!" James shouts. "I don't have any proxies! And Margareta is _definitely_ not a proxy!"

Trevor can hear clicks as Kevin types something on his computer. Something dings. "Found something," Kevin announces.

"What is it?" Trevor asks.

"Uh...something about disappearances...police say they can't find the guy, uh...they got a call from a lady named Margareta Willows-"

"That's her!" James cries, making the boys jump. "That's her name! Where is she?"

More clicking as Kevin scrolls down. "Um...it doesn't say anything else about her, but the whole story came from a town near the Kullman Mining Facility."

"But that place is haunted!" Charlie says.

"Cool," Trevor says, a smile on his face. "When are we going?"

"No, Trevor, you can't go," Kevin says. "You can't see where you're going, and you could easily fall and hurt yourself."

Trevor's smile vanishes. James feels sorry for his friend. "He can go," he says. "I'll keep him safe."

"You will?" Charlie says incredulously.

"Don't you take people away to some horrific doom?" Kevin asks. "Or you make them go insane?"

"Why would I ever do that?" James asks. "Where are you hearing about these ridiculous stories?"

Kevin ducks his head.

James rises from the chair. "I need to find Margareta, and if you boys want to join me, that's fine."

Trevor slowly gets to his feet. "I'll join you."

Kevin and Charlie exchange looks before standing up, too. "I guess we'll join you," Charlie says.

James is happy that Charlie is going to help him, but he misses the little boy with the innocent brown eyes. This Charlie seems...different. They all talk about when they should leave and where they should meet up, then James teleports Trevor back to his house. "Do you trust him?" Charlie asks when he and Kevin are alone.

Kevin shrugs, closing his laptop. "I guess. I mean, it's weird to see Slender Man, but he's not Slender Man. You know?"

Charlie says, "We should still be careful. We don't really know much about him. And we definitely don't wanna be accused of doing anything bad."

"You still thinking about those sessions?" Kevin asks. He refers to the sessions Charlie's parents would take him to every week to cleanse him of any trace of the devil.

"I'm not going back down that path," Charlie says. "And I don't want you to have to go that way either."

Kevin nods, understanding Charlie's point of view. But still, Trevor is his best friend. If he says Slender Man - or James - is a nice guy, maybe they should trust him. "I think we should still go to that mining facility."

"Fine." They chat a little longer before Charlie has to go. After Kevin shuts the front door behind his friend, Charlie stalls on the front lawn, taking out a flier from his pocket and unfolding it. He sighs, looking down at the picture of a big black circle with an X through it. Someone had come by his house and given this to him, telling him not to hesitate to call them if anything strange happened. Charlie's debating calling them. He doesn't want to follow Slender Man, but he doesn't want Kevin to go by himself. The fact that Trevor's going doesn't sit well with him either.

Charlie sighs. He'll go to the mining facility, but as soon as something fishy happens, he's calling the group.


	6. The Black Circle

The four of them gathered at Kevin's backyard the next night. "Are you ready?" James asks.

Trevor nods and says, "Yep."

Kevin glances away, rubs the back of his neck, and mumbles, "Sure."

Charlie feels the folded paper in his pocket. He's hoping he doesn't have to call the group, but he figures it's better to be safe than sorry. He keeps his face free of emotion as he says, "I'm ready."

James can sense that Charlie is being aloof on purpose, and he feels sad. Those past years, he'd thought about Charlie and hoped he'd been okay. He'd hoped to one day find Charlie again - and maybe form a friendship - but now, James feels distant, as if he'd never met Charlie before. James reaches out a hand to the young man, but he just flinches away. The Slender slumps.

"We'd better go now," Charlie says. "Let's get this over with." Slowly, everyone gathers around James, and he wraps his long arms around them before teleporting them to the outskirts of a forest just outside of the mining facility.

"Whoa," Kevin says, looking at everything.

Trevor tightens his grip on his walking stick and asks, "What's it like?"

"It's huge, and there's big machinery."

James points and says, "I think that's the entrance to the mine right there."

Charlie's blood chills. He recalls the day he first met that group.

* * *

_He was walking back to his apartment after a long day of work. He got his phone out and was checking his messages when he heard a car zooming behind him. He turned around and saw a van approaching him. It slowed, the side door opened, and three masked people jumped out. They ran at him._

_Charlie whirled around and dashed madly for his apartment complex. He could hear them getting closer. He turned and jumped up, grabbing the chain-link fence and throwing himself over. He kept running, rounding a corner and sprinting for the stairs that would lead him to his apartment._

_He stopped when one of those people appeared and hurried in front of the stairs, blocking his escape. "Out of my way!" he shouted. He charged at the man, tackling him into the stairs. He then scrambled to his feet in a desperate attempt to flee - but the man grabbed his ankle and yanked him down. Charlie kicked at his hand, but the masked man didn't let go._

_"Release him," a voice said._

_The masked man growled, but he let go of Charlie's ankle. Charlie got to his feet, watching as his attacker backed into a surrounding group of masked men at the bottom of the stairs. One of them came forward. "Very impressive, my boy," he said, giving Charlie an impressive nod. "I've never seen anyone as fast or strong as you."_

_"Who are you?" Charlie demanded._

_The man wagged his finger. "Tsk, tsk, there's no need to be rude."_

_"Says the guy who tried to abduct me!"_

_The leader cut to the chase. "We are the Black Circle. We have been watching you for a while, Charlie."_

_He froze. "H-How do you know my name?"_

_The leader waved a dismissive hand. "That's not important. What's important is that we want to help you."_

_He still doubted the intentions of the Black Circle. Why were they chasing him? "Why would you want to help me?" he asked them._

_"Because," the leader said, "we have a common enemy: The Slender Man."_

_Charlie stiffened. He knew that was the creature he'd seen at the park, the one who wanted his help. No one believed him when he said the faceless man was friendly, and he'd been taken to classes that "purified" him of anything demonic. He'd been made to confess that he did meet a demon, and he had to accept a different path. It was very traumatic as a child, to go through these "classes" when no one bothered to listen to you. Ever since those classes, he'd been wary of anything relating to Slender Man, fearing he'd go through the same cycle._

_"It's alright, though," the leader continued. "With your help, we can get rid of the Slender Man once and for all."_

_Charlie hesitated before asking, "How can I help?"_

_The leader of the Black Circle took out a paper with a circle and an X sketched on it. He gave it to Charlie. "If you find anything to do with the monster, call us."_

_He looked over the paper. "But there's no number on here."_

_"We'll know if you call us. Or, if you prefer, we reside inside a mine. Just go through the entrance, and someone will meet you there."_

_Charlie looked up to say something - but they're all gone. Stuffing the paper into his pocket, he bounded up the stairs, ran to his apartment, and slammed the door behind him, locking it tight._

* * *

"Do you think Margareta is somewhere in that mine?" Trevor asks.

Charlie snaps from his thoughts.

"I don't think so," James says. "Slenders don't like enclosed spaces. We'll go in there, but we won't stay long."

"Does it drain your powers, or something?" Kevin asks.

"No, we're just claustrophobic. Another reason why we prefer forests."

A tingle goes through James as he senses something. Something he hasn't felt in years. He turns into the trees, trying to peer between them.

"What is it?" Charlie asks nervously. Kevin turns Trevor around so he's facing the forest, too.

"I think I sense..." James leans forward. "It is!" He teleports to the figure behind the trees.

"Hey, wait up!" Kevin says, pulling Trevor along. Charlie nervously glances back at the machinery before running off to join them.

* * *

It's so dark, and cold. She hugs herself for warmth, wishing for a light in this place. But she's not sure if she even wants to see where she is.

What if she saw one of those people again?

She shudders at the thought. She doesn't know who they are, only that a couple of them snatched her on her way home and knocked her out with chloroform. When she came to, she was in this little room, completely dark and dusty. One of them had opened the door, a shadow against the light in the background. He'd told her she'd serve a great purpose, but he wouldn't answer any questions about his identity or why they chose her. He'd kept silent about that. But his ambiguity wasn't what had frightened her.

It was his eyes.

Even after she was shut up in the darkness, the eyes have stayed with her. Blood-red eyes. They must have been contact lenses, but they still scare her.

The only other thing besides the eyes that scares her is the fact that they know her name.

Lily.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it! :) Please review!**


	7. Margareta

Mittens flicks her tail as she stares out the window. She'd seen that tall fellow disappear with those three boys. She remembers that one night nearly a week ago. Those punks had snatched her and almost hurt her when Trevor came out. Then that thin, faceless man appeared.

One thing you should know about cats: they can sense danger. And that night, Mittens knew the faceless man was no danger. It was why she didn't try to claw at him.

Now, she sits on the windowsill in Jenna's bedroom and stares out into the backyard. Maybe she should go for a stroll tonight. Maybe she could find a mouse. Her ear twitches when she hears something. It's coming through the window, so it's muffled. She flicks her tail again and starts grooming her front paws.

She hears it again. Her head whips to the window - someone is walking out from the forest. A man in a mask. He's carrying a bottle and rag, and he's walking up to the back door.

* * *

"Margareta!" James says, wrapping his arms around his old friend in a tight embrace.

"James, you're alive!" she says, returning his hug. "I thought you were dead when you didn't show up in the Black Forest!"

"I'm very sorry about that. I couldn't-"

"Next time," Kevin huffs, "wait for us." He presses one hand against a tree and bends over, panting heavily. Charlie takes deep breaths, but more to calm himself down. He's not as tired from running over here, but he wasn't the one who had to drag Trevor behind him.

The said blind boy tucks his free hand into his jeans pocket and smirks, "So, is this the pretty lady you told me about?"

James steps back from Margareta and ducks his head. "It is," he says.

She looks past him and asks, "Who are your friends?"

"This is Trevor, Kevin, and Charlie." He motions to each one in turn.

"They're humans," she says matter-of-factly. She cocks her head quizzically at James.

James nods. "They are."

"They're not with those other humans, are they?"

"What other humans?" Kevin asks, straightening.

"The ones with the masks."

"Masks?" Charlie repeats, his shoulders tensing a bit.

Margareta nods. "I saw them put some cameras up around the facility, and they brought more inside."

James stiffens. "Uh oh."

"What's wrong?" Trevor asks.

"You can't go near cameras without making 'em go whack, right?" Kevin says.

The Slenders turn to the boys. "We try to stay away from anything with electricity," James says. "Cameras, phones, anything."

"It's because you make them go static and break, right?" Charlie says.

"Well, that may be so, but we get headaches if there's too much electricity in the air around us."

Margareta joins in, "It starts as a slight headache, maybe a static sound ringing in our minds, but it can get as bad as a migraine, pounding at our heads and forcing us to our knees in pain."

Trevor frowns. "Then you guys should stay away from the mining facility."

"I know we should," Margareta says, "but I can't just yet. I've been trying to find a way inside without causing me pain or giving away my existence."

Charlie speaks this time. "Why are you trying to get inside?"

"I see those masked humans take people inside," she tells them. "I don't know why they're taking them, but I have heard some of them talk lately about deaths. I've got to get those innocent people out of there before something horrible happens!"

"Hold on," Charlie says, raising a hand. "You tipped off the police about the mine?"

"Yes."

"How did you call them? I thought Slenders can't be around phones."

She ducks her head. "I...saw someone with a phone and...got them to call the police."

"You made them a proxy?" Kevin says, his eyes going wide.

"What's a proxy?"

"She'd never do anything like that," James defends, stepping in front of Margareta.

Charlie glares at his "friend" and points at Margareta. "Then how did she get the person to call the police?"

She lays a hand on James' shoulder. "James isn't the only Slender with human friends."

"You have a human friend, too?" Trevor asks. "Cool. Who is he?"

"She, actually. Her car broke down one night near where I was staying, and I offered her shelter. She was terrified at first, but then she came to trust me. When I saw the masked men bring those people to the mine, I told her to call the police in my name - but then I noticed the masked men started following her.

"I warned her to be careful, to be vigilant at all times, but I haven't seen her in a few days. I fear they got her." She hands her head and shivers a little. James hugs her to him and rubs her back.

The boys are silent. Charlie clears his throat before saying, "I-I have a friend, that I text every day. I haven't heard from her in a few days either." He licks his lips. "Is your friend a girl named Lily?"

"Yes, she is."

"Wait," Trevor says, "Lily from the park? The one you were playing with when James saw you?"

Charlie nods. "We all stayed in touch after that day: her, me, and those two kids, Tommy and Peter. We called ourselves the 'Slender Four.'" He chuckles bashfully. "I don't talk to Tommy or Peter much anymore. Though-" he shuffles his feet around, "-we should probably warn them."

"You think those people will come for them, too?" James asks.

"Well, they...they already came for me," he admits, "but they let me go."

"Why would they let you go?" Kevin wonders. "I mean, it's good they did and that you're still here. But why?"

Charlie remembers what the leader of the Black Circle had said: "_We have a common enemy: The Slender Man...If you find anything to do with the Slender Man, call us._"

Instead, he lies, "I don't know why they would."

"Well," Margareta says, "it doesn't sound like you're safe, Charlie. You need to stay in the shadows until we can find out how to stop them."

"What are we gonna do now?" Kevin asks.

Trevor says, "We're gonna do what we came here to do: we're going into the mine."

**A/N: I wanted to put it in this chapter, but I couldn't find a good way to weave it in, so I'll just tell you now: Slenders aren't affected by electric light bulbs. Even though they run on electricity, they don't emit a signal like phones and cameras do, so they're not a threat to Slenders. I'm telling you this because light bulbs are coming up in the story.**

**Also, I wanna try something new. If you want, you can suggest things like cameos, phrases, possible future places for these people, and I'll weave some of them into the story. (The next chapter will be the tester to see if this works. If it does, I'll keep doing it.)**

**Looking forward to your suggestions and reviews! :)**


	8. Inside the Mine

Lily leans against the wall, trying to get a comfortable position to sleep in. But really, who can sleep in a dark, dusty, little room? She should try, though. Her eyes slowly close.

The door opens. Lily's eyes shoot open as she sees two shadows. REOWR! A third shadow jumps down and runs away. The bigger shadow utters a curse and throws the other shadow inside the room before shutting the door. Lily had enough time, though, to see the shadow was actually a girl maybe a few years older than her.

The girl groans. Lily pictures the girl sitting up slowly and putting a hand to her head. "Mmnh, my head," she says. "Wh-Where am I?"

Lily says, "I don't know."

She hears the girl jump. "Who's there?"

"My name's Lily. I woke up here, too."

"But you don't know where we are?"

"Sorry, no."

The girl moans.

"Do you have a cat?"

"Yes, her name's Mittens. Why?"

"I think she ran out."

"I hope she's okay." She sounds worried.

Lily reaches out until she feels a shoulder, then she awkwardly gives the girl a hug. "I'm sure your cat will be fine," she says, though she really doesn't know.

"Thanks, um, Lily, right?"

"Yep. What's your name?"

"Jenna."

* * *

"It's so dark in here," Kevin whines. He and Trevor decided to sneak into the mine, leaving Charlie with the Slenders. "What exactly are we looking for, anyway?"

"Anything to do with those kidnappings," Trevor says. "Hopefully we won't find anything to do with death." Kevin shudders.

"...the arrival," a voice says from a branching hallway.

The boys freeze. "We need to hide," Trevor whispers to Kevin.

He nods and frantically looks for a place to hide. The closest place he sees is underneath a table. If anyone who passes by looks down, they'll be able to see the boys, but it's the closest and easiest place to hide that Kevin can see. He grabs his friend and pulls him underneath. "Tuck your legs in," he hisses, and Trevor complies.

Two men can be heard (and their shoes seen) rounding the corner. "Did the boss pick a place yet?" one of them asks in a gruffly voice.

"Not yet," a nasally voice replies. "I wish he'd hurry up, though."

Trevor can smell something as the men pass by. The scent makes him think of rotted pine needles. What would thugs like the Black Circle be doing in a forest?

"D'you think our boss is just being a nutcase about this?" the gruff voice says.

"What do you mean?" asks his nasally companion.

The shoes come to a stop a few feet past the table. "Well, he says he's spent all his life since that 'incident' trying to catch that monster. But instead of going for the monster, he's going for random people. It doesn't seem like he knows what he's doing at all."

"Is that so?" a third voice hisses. Kevin presses himself and Trevor against the wall, Trevor clutching his stick to him tighter. A third pair of shoes makes its way casually to the other shoes. "You think I don't know what I'm doing?"

"No, I didn't-"

"Do you have so little faith in your leader?" the third voice spits. Judging by the following sounds, the boss must be choking the gruff-voice person. "I promise you, if you fail me or try to leave, I will _have you killed_."

Mr. Gruff is released and gulping in air. "I'm sorry, sir," he breathes.

"Sir," a fourth voice says, another pair of shoes coming into view. "The tech team found something very interesting. One of their cameras caught four people appearing out of nowhere and then running into the forest."

Trevor and Kevin freeze. When Margareta told them about the cameras, not once did it cross their minds that they could have been spotted.

And now, the Slenders are in danger of being found.

"Really?" the boss says, sounding intrigued.

"And one of the people looked like that Charlie boy."

Uh oh.

The boss starts hurrying down the hallway, calling out orders to gather as many men as possible and to bring guns. When the coast is clear, Kevin crawls out, helping Trevor. "What are we gonna do now?" Kevin asks, helping his friend stand up.

If Trevor had any control over his eyes, he'd narrow them in determination. Instead, he stares into space as he says, "We have to get to the forest first and warn James and Margareta."

"But how can we? We'll be spotted by those stupid cameras. Plus they have guns. We have nothing!"

"Calm down," Trevor hisses, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We'll figure something out."

Meow.

Trevor feels something brush against his leg. "Mittens?" Kevin says in disbelief, scooping up the cat. "What are you doing here?"

Mittens gives him an annoyed look.

"Okay, so we have the two of us, plus a cat," Trevor says. "So far, so good."

"Good? How is this good? We still don't know how we're gonna go up against a bunch of scary guys with guns!"

An idea pops up in Trevor's head. "I think we might've found a way to warn James and Charlie and Margareta of the Black Circle."

"And what's that?"

"We send Mittens."

"_What?_"

"Who's there?" a voice calls out. Kevin grabs Trevor's elbow and leads him away and down a hallway.

After the man passes by, Kevin harshly whispers, "Are you out of your mind? You can't send a cat on a mission like this!"

"Do you wanna take her place? Besides, the Black Circle's looking for people, not cats."

"You're insane. And I'm not risking Jenna's cat for-"

"My cat?"

Both boys shut up. Kevin glances around and Trevor strains his ears for any sign of people. Mittens jumps out of Kevin's hands and looks up at the nearest door. MEOW.

"Mittens?"

"Jenna?" Kevin presses an ear to the door.

"Kevin? What are you doing here? Did they get you, too?"

"What? No, I'm just looking for - hang on. How'd you get here?"

"Some creep broke into the house and knocked me out with chloroform. I woke up in here with Lily."

"Lily?" Trevor makes his way to the door. "As in, Charlie's friend, Lily?"

"You know Charlie?" another female voice says.

"Yeah. He's in danger."

"What?" the girls say.

Kevin feels around the door. "There's gotta be a way to get you guys out. Wait! Here's a lock!" Pause. "Um, does anyone know how to pick a lock?"

Click.

Trevor feels something cold touch the back of his head. "Don't move," a deep voice says, "or I'll pull the trigger."

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I'm trying the phrase-thing this chapter. I put in this chapter something relating to Slender Man. If you think you know the answer or you wanna suggest other phrases, you can leave it in comments. (This is inspired by something Crash Course did on YouTube.)**


	9. Distress

"What's taking them so long?" James asks. It's been half an hour since Trevor and Kevin went inside the mine, and the others have been waiting around in the forest.

"Who knows," Charlie says with a shrug, just itching to take his smartphone out and play on it. He reminds himself, though, that Slenders can't handle electromagnetic signals and grudgingly keeps himself from touching it.

They're sitting in a circle on the ground, James and Margareta tall and still, Charlie slouched over with his chin in his hand and the other tracing pictures in the dirt. "I sure hope they're okay," Margareta sighs.

James turns his head towards the entrance to the mine. "Should we go in there? Maybe they're in trouble."

Charlie's worried about his friends, too, but flashbacks of those "purifying" classes come to him. Memories of windowless rooms and Gothic crosses, of a man in heavy robes, of trying to tell the truth but being yelled at and roughly handled until he "confessed." Ever since, he's been afraid of being accused of anything bad. What if someone found out he was involved with the Black Circle? What if he was shunned from everyone he cared about? Or what if he got so involved with the Black Circle he couldn't get out? Besides, he's always had a fear of the dark, and the fact that the entrance to the mine is pitch black nearly sends him into a panic.

"How about this?" Margareta says, snapping Charlie from his thoughts. "If the boys don't come out within the next five minutes, we go in there and get them."

"Sounds fine to me," James says.

Charlie, avoiding looking at them, mumbles, "Yeah, sure."

Five minutes pass, and still no sign of the boys. "Alright," James says, getting to his feet. "I guess I'm going in."

"I'm coming with you," Margareta says, also standing.

Charlie shoots up. "I'll just stay here," he blurts out. When the two Slenders look at him, he blubbers, "Well, I just don't like dark places, and we really don't know anything about these guys, I mean, for all we know they could be waiting to ambush us in there and..." His voice trails off with nervousness and embarrassment.

"He does have a point," Margareta tells James. "There could be someone waiting for us inside. We don't know."

"So," James says, "one of us should stay here with Charlie."

Charlie almost breathes a sigh of relief, but stops himself. It seems rude, and a little selfish, being glad to stay behind when the two people most in danger are deciding who'll take the risk and go.

"I could stay here with Charlie," Margareta says. "You know those boys better than I, and you'd probably know better where and how to find them. Besides, I know this forest better than you, and if necessary, I can take him someplace safe."

"Are you sure?" James asks.

She nods. "We'll be fine."

He wraps his long arms around her in a last hug as he whispers, "Stay safe." After their embrace, he turns to Charlie, reaching out to hug him or at least pat his shoulder. Charlie flinches back. James lowers his hand sadly and turns toward the entrance to the mine. In a blink, the two can see him just within the entrance. He turns around to wave at them before walking further into the mine.

"Why are you so scared of James?" Margareta asks, facing the fellow.

"I'm not scared of him," Charlie says too quickly.

The cock of her head and the way her hands rest on her hips show Margareta is not convinced.

"Okay, okay," he says, holding up his hands. "I guess I'm a little scared of...James. It's just..."

"Just what?"

Charlie opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He tries again, but same result. "Ugh, never mind," he scoffs.

Margareta crosses her arms and leans against a tree, sighing. She knows Charlie is hiding something, and she wishes she can show him he doesn't need to be afraid of her, of any Slender for that matter. But for as long as she's lived, she knows that humans tend to judge on appearances. One look at any Slender would be enough to scare a human into doing something rash. She's heard of the Witch Trials; they certainly don't need the Slender Trials.

Boom. Margareta straightens as she feels that familiar boom go through her mind. She'd felt it when the men were chasing Lily, and she'd felt it when the cameras around the mining facility were activated.

Danger is coming.

* * *

James makes his way slowly - apprehensively - down the hallway. If he'd known the area better, he would've teleported, but it's so dark in here, the only light coming from dim, dangling light bulbs dispersed across the ceiling. The hallways aren't super narrow, but it's enough to make the Slender nervous. _I wish I was back in the forest_, he thinks.

Boom. He freezes. Danger is close. He can feel it.

"Don't move," he hears, "or I'll pull the trigger."

James also senses fear. But who's is it?

"Now, turn around slowly," the threatening person demands.

"Bossy," someone mutters.

_Trevor!_

"Both of you, put your hands up...Now!"

James hears a whimper and recognizes Kevin. Well, he's found the boys. How's he gonna get them out? Last time he saw someone with a gun, he was shot, and it took all his strength to escape. But this time, there are no healers around. If James is injured, he's on his own - and he won't be able to protect his friends. What if the man decides to shoot one of the boys? James can't exactly walk up to a hospital and ask for help.

It's then he does something he hasn't done in years. He focuses hard and sends out "Help!" to any Slender nearby. He's only done a distress call once, to try and find his clan. Unfortunately, distress calls can only go so far, and his clan must have been in another part of the world. Another clan had appeared and offered to take him in until he found his own clan, but he refused.

He doesn't even have to wait a minute as he senses someone appear behind him. James turns around - it's a Slender man wearing a knee-length black jacket, a blood red shirt, and black jeans and Converse. "You called?" he says.

"Who goes there?" the dangerous person bellows.

The newcomer touches James' arm, and both of them are cloaked in shadow. Someone peers around the corner, a Black Circle member, no doubt. All he sees is a darkened hallway. He grumbles and ducks back into the hallway.

James stares at the newcomer as he lets go and the shadows vanish. "How did you do that?" he whispers.

"It's a special power my clan has," he replies. "It comes in handy in the daytime."

James nods, but then cuts to the chase. "I have two human friends in that hallway, and I need to get them out."

"Human friends?" The guy sounds surprised.

"Please just help them."

The other Slender nods and disappears in a wave of shadows. James looks down and sees two smaller shadows on the floor. Those must be his footsteps. He watches them disappear and reappear as the Slender makes his way to the hallway.

"Now, no funny business," the Black Circle member tells the boys. "I _will_ pull the trigger."

"On a couple of unarmed boys?" Trevor says, undaunted. "How rude."

"Shut up!"

Trevor's nose itches. What's that smoky smell? It wasn't here a moment ago.

He hears the guy with the gun cry out in shock, grunting, "Put me down, you-" The guy is cut off.

Just like the thug outside Trevor's house.

"James?" he calls out. "Is that you?"

Kevin gasps.

"What is it?" he asks.

His friend stutters, "Th-th-there's two!"

"Two James'?"

"No," he hears James say as he comes into the hallway. "Another Slender came to help."

The newcomer appears back in the hallway. "Hey there," he says.

Kevin's eyes widen. "Wh-who are you?"

"Name's Victor. Victor Slayerman."

"What are you doing here?"

Victor gestures to James. "Your friend here sent out a call for help. I happened to be close enough to hear it."

Trevor leans on his walking stick. "Thanks, Victor. Think you and James can help us out? A couple of our friends are stuck behind that door." He points too far to the left, and Kevin corrects his arm.

"Sorry, kid," Victor says. "I just came to take care of the bad guy, and I did. So, see you later!" In a blink, he's gone.

"I'll get them," James says. In a flash, he's in the cell and out with the two girls. Jenna screams, but a tentacle covers her mouth.

Lily stares wide-eyed at the Slender. "No way!" she breathes. "You're the Slender Man! I saw you that one day at the park!"

"You remember me?" he asks, astounded.

"Of course I do. You were behind that tree when you created those tentacles." She gives a little smile. "That was so cool!" If James had a mouth, he'd be smiling.

"Help!"

James' heart sinks. He recognizes that distress call.

Margareta and Charlie!

**A/N: Okay, so far no one's guessed at the hidden phrase or suggested anything, but I did something in this chapter, too. Last chapter, the phrase was "the arrival," in honor of the newest Slender game. This week's phrase doesn't have anything necessarily to do with the Slender mythos, but it does have something to do with the supernatural and history. (That's the only hint I'm giving.)**

**And Victor Slayerman is courtesy of Dusk the Hedgehog.**


	10. Captured

_Maybe I should've_ _stayed_, Victor thinks, walking along the roof of a house._ That Slender looked like he could've used some help, but those humans...can we really trust them?_ Victor remembers the last time he encountered humans. It happened here, in this town.

Victor stops walking and turns to look at the mining facility in the distance. He recognizes that Slender from the infamous picture of him in the park. Everyone in the Slender community knows that picture. Is that man so stupid as to go up to humans again, when they nearly killed him that day? Especially in a mine, of all places? Maybe he should go back. If anything, he can teleport that Slender away from the humans.

"Help!"

Another distress call? This time, it's coming from the forest across from the mine. "What the-"

BANG!

Gunshots! Victor teleports to the middle of the forest.

* * *

Margareta would've teleported out of the forest already if Charlie hadn't taken off running through the forest. She can't just leave him with the Black Circle - who's already entered the forest and are shooting at them. She hopes someone hears her distress call soon.

She senses something to her right, and she spots Charlie! She catches up to him and grabs his arm to stop him. "Charlie, what are you doing?"

Charlie's brown eyes are wide, and he's panting heavily. "I was trying...to get...away...from them."

"You know we can just teleport out of here, but you have to stop running and trust me."

"Half of you go that way," the leader of the Black Circle says in the distance, "half of you go _that_ way. Find that boy!"

Margareta grabs Charlie's forearm and is about to teleport away when she senses two Slenders appear. _Two Slenders? James and who else?_

"Hey, hands off, pal!" Trevor's voice shouts at someone.

"Get them!" the leader says. "Don't let any of them escape!"

Margareta teleports herself and Charlie onto a branch above the scene. James is here, along with Trevor, Kevin, and two girls. And there's another Slender here. He looks familiar. But how?

The new Slender wastes no time in fighting the Black Circle, extending all of his tentacle arms to aid him in punching, throwing, and blocking. The Black Circle members try dodging the arms, but they all come in contact one way or another. One of them, sick of being thrown against a tree, takes out a gun and starts shooting randomly while trying to dodge the flailing limbs. James notices Margareta and teleports the humans up to her. "You're okay," he whispers, sitting right next to her on the branch.

"So are you," she says.

"Guys, we've got a problem," Kevin says, his face pale. His eyes are transfixed on Trevor's leg.

"It's only a flesh wound," the blind boy says.

"Dude, you were shot in the leg!"

"What?" James inspects his friend's leg. Sure enough, there is a small, but bloody, crater in Trevor's thigh. "We have to get you to a hospital right away."

"But you can't go in there!" Kevin says. "What are we gonna do?"

"We'll take him," Lily says. "Slender Man can drop us off by the hospital and we can take Trevor inside."

"AAUUGHH!"

Everybody (but Trevor) looks down. Victor's collapsed onto the ground after receiving an electric shock from a taser. He groans as his arms and all his tentacles are bent behind him. The leader takes a gun and cocks it.

"You guys go," Margareta says. "I'll help this man."

Jenna hisses, "Are you crazy? You could get hurt!"

"Worry about your friend. He needs more help than I do."

James nods, but reaches over and cups her face. "Be careful," he tells her in a tender tone. He withdraws his hand, stretches his arms around all the humans, and says, "I'll be back as soon as I can." Then they vanish.

Margareta slowly rises on the branch and extends her leg to the branch right above the leader. She gracefully hops over and looks down. She has to time this right.

"Do you have any last words, Slender?" the leader says, aiming the gun at Victor's head.

"Do you?" Margareta sneers, appearing right behind the leader and knocking the gun out of his hand before he can pull the trigger. She kicks his back and pushes him forward. She continues fighting as she snakes a tentacle over to shove the humans off of Victor and help him up. "You need to get out of here!" she tells him.

"What about you?" he says. "It's dangerous for any Slender to be here! Trust me, I've lived in this town for a few years!"

"In a minute!" She whirls around, her long arms knocking men back into trees. Their bodies crumple to the ground as they all groan and try crawling away. "That's odd," Margareta mutters. "The Black Circle leader is gone."

"That coward probably ran off during the fight," Victor says.

"Maybe..." She turns to Victor. "You seem familiar."

"Really? I don't remember ever meeting you."

Growl. The two Slenders scan the area, but neither can find the source of that growl. Just to be on the safe side, they teleport a few yards away from the recovering members. "Are you sure we don't know each other?" Margareta asks, putting a hand to her chin. "I thought I remembered seeing you from somewhere."

Victor shrugs. "I don't know where. I've never seen you in my entire life."

"Really? No one ever took a picture of you at all, or made a picture?"

An image of _her_ comes to his mind, and his heart thumps. "There was one person. She was different than the others, in that she never thought of me as a monster." He tilts his head up as the memory comes back to him. "One day, she wanted to draw a picture of me. She was really artistic, and her drawing looked exactly like me."

"Maybe that's what I saw."

"How? She told me she only shared that picture with her family - though somehow, it was leaked to the public. That's how the angry mob started."

"Mob?" Margareta's been lucky enough to have avoided mobs and riots altogether. Ever since James was discovered, humans have been relentless in destroying the Slender race. She remembers Lily telling her she ran away from home because she couldn't handle the riots in her hometown. "I'm so sorry you had to live through that," she says.

He nods at her.

Boom. _Uh oh_, Margareta thinks. Judging by how Victor's shoulders tense up, she can tell he senses the danger, too. Something's right behind him. "Get away!" she shouts, pushing him out of the way as the Black Circle leader jumps out of the bushes and presses a taser into her side. An electric current shoots through her, worse than a dozen cameras could ever make, and she cries out in pain as she slumps to the ground. Victor dashes behind a tree, hidden enough from the leader, but close enough to see what's going on.

The leader holds the taser out as he scans the darkened forest around him. Victor makes himself still, not wanting to receive another one of those horrible shocks. He still isn't well enough to teleport anywhere.

"There you are, boss," one of the members of the Black Circle says as he and a few other members tramp into the area. They all stumble back a step when they see Margareta on the ground.

"Don't worry, men," their leader tells them, putting away his taser and standing tall and proud. "I've captured one of them, but the other got away." He grumbles.

"Th-there's s-still one o-out there?" one of the men asks, glancing around nervously.

The leader throws back his head and hollers, "Hear me, o Slender Man! I have your friend here, and I promise no harm shall come to her - for now." Victor can hear the wicked grin in his voice. "If you do not come forth within twenty-four hours, she will die. You have until then to turn yourself in and pay for what you did." That last part sounds like it was cut off abruptly, as if there was something else he was going to say.

"Take her away," he tells several of his men. They all look at each other until four are pushed forward to lift Margareta and drag her away. One of them commented on how surprisingly light she is for having so many limbs.

_This is bad_, Victor thinks. He waits until the last of the Black Circle gang has left the forest to try teleporting. He clenches his fists, and if he had a face, he'd scrunch it up in concentration.

But nothing happens. Not even moving a few feet to the left.

He tries again, but his body still feels so sore and pained from that electromagnetic current that went through him. He plops down in a huff. He hates being so...useless.

Fortunately, James reappears right in front of him. "Sorry I took so long," he says, dusting something off his black jacket. "I had to make sure they got in okay, then a nurse thought she saw me through a window and threw her half-eaten donut at me, then...are you okay?" James can tell that something is bugging Victor.

The other Slender looks up at James and says, "They got Margareta."

"_What?!_" James hisses, all his tentacle arms flaring out.

"I couldn't do anything. That sick leader has a taser." Victor shudders. "No Slender stands a chance against a taser."

James' tentacles stop waving wildly (even he knows what a taser is), but he doesn't retract them. "Where are they holding her?" he demands.

"Last I saw, they were dragging her out of the forest, but I couldn't even teleport, so there's no way I could've followed them without risk of being spotted. Oh, there's one more thing," he says, slowly getting to his feet. "They want you to turn yourself in within twenty-four hours or she dies."

_Turn myself in?_ James thinks, unbelieving. _To that maniac? Or Margareta dies? How could they do that? I can't let her die...but I can't leave Trevor and his friends alone and unprotected either._ He fights an inner battle for a few minutes before sighing and withdrawing his tentacles. "I'll go," he says.

"Are you insane?" Victor says. "They'll kill you!"

"But I can't let them kill her," he says tenderly. He stands completely still and looks Victor straight in the eye-space. "What would you do for someone you loved?"

Victor sighs and reaches out a hand. "Look, I understand where you're coming from. I also loved someone - a human actually. She was the only one who saw me for me. Anyways, she drew a picture of me, and somehow it was shown to the public. They all thought I was a monster and set out to destroy me. She tried to defend me, but she was caught, used as bait to lure me out. I thought if I turned myself in, like they wanted, they'd let her go."

He shakes his head and makes a noise of disgust. "You know what they did? They killed her. Right in front of me. I was so furious and full of hate that I went on a rampage and killed several humans in the process. After I came out of it, I was ashamed of what I'd done. So I ran and hid."

James is quiet for a moment, taking this in. "I am so sorry," he says quietly.

Victor doesn't move. "Ever since, I've never trusted humans. I keep waiting for those rare humans that accept anything for what it is, who makes me feel like I'm not a monster that just kills people."

"I know how that is. I've heard stories about me in which I hunt people, especially children, down and steal them or kill them. I love children! Why would I kill them?"

"I know, right?" Victor takes a step forward. "But you can't turn yourself into those Black Circle people. They'll kill Margareta anyways, whether you go or not."

"But I can't just let her die!"

"So, what do we do?"

**A/N: Whew, this is a pretty long chapter. Things aren't looking so good for Margareta, and poor James has to make a decision. And what will happen to Trevor? *dun dun DUN***

**Last chapter's phrase was tricky; it was something relating to the supernatural and history. The phrase was actually "Witch Trials," but that one was kinda tricky. This chapter's phrase is from a Monty Python movie (one of my favorite lines from it). Good luck!**


	11. The List

**A/N: Sorry for another long chapter. This one gets exciting, I promise.**

Trevor lies on the hospital bed, wishing he has someone to talk to. The doctors already took out the bullet and cleaned up the wound before wrapping it up in bandages. They told him he'll have to stay overnight. That wasn't the worst part: his friends can't stay with him overnight. He'd put up a fight about that, but the doctors kept saying he "needed his rest" and they "couldn't risk infection." They didn't want to keep purifying him.

Now, it's really late, and Trevor's not tired yet. Everyone already left, promising to come back first thing in the morning. He'd already called his family to tell them he's hurt and will (hopefully) be let out tomorrow. Sigh. What now?

BA-DEE-DEE-DA, DA-DEE-DEE-DUM.

Trevor feels for his cell phone on the side table, flips it open, and brings it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, buddy," Kevin's voice says. "You feeling any better?"

"I'm ready to get outta here!"

Chuckle. "Reckless as always. Anyway, I did some more research on the Slender Man myth, and I found something pretty interesting."

Trevor straightens up in bed. "What's that?"

"You know how it all started with that one picture on the Something Awful forums?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what it looks like," he deadpans.

"Well, anyway, I looked back at that picture - and there are four kids around Slender Man near a tree in a park."

"So?"

"Didn't James meet four kids at the park that one day?"

Trevor replays James' story in his mind. The park, the tree, Charlie, Lily, Tommy, Peter - oh, God. "But I thought that picture was made up!"

Kevin says, "I thought so, too, and we're kinda right. That exact picture is not real - but the guy who made the picture was there that day."

Trevor pales. "How do you know?"

"I looked up the guy. He goes by Victor Surge, but his real name is Eric Knudsen. Lily and I looked up stuff from that fateful day, and it turns out Eric was one of the witnesses in the article. He mentioned a 'faceless monster' - that has to be James - and how he just disappeared. When he posted that picture in the forums, he was encouraging people to spread the word about the Slender Man. Seems like he wants everyone to think James is evil."

"But why?" Trevor wonders.

Sigh. "Don't know that yet, Trevor. But we're working on it. Oh, but here's something interesting: Eric disappeared. No one's heard from him in a few months."

"Whoa. What do you think happened?"

"I dunno, but it's really creepy," he whines.

Trevor feels bad for his friend. Even though Kevin likes playing the game, he's been scared of the idea of Slender Man since he first heard of it. Sure, he met James and knows the truth, but he knows his friend better than anyone and knows how terrified he must be. "Hey, I'm gonna let you go. Keep me updated on anything you find out."

"Will do - guys, get down!" he hisses. Trevor hears shuffling and muffled sounds coming from the other end. Kevin's voice comes back and whispers, "Sorry, man. Gotta go!" The line dies.

* * *

Lily manages to finish her text to Tommy and Peter before having to dive under the bed. All four of them had decided to go back to Kevin and Jenna's house, where they could rest, eat, and look up anything that could be useful. She prays that the boys get the warning in time.

Muffled thuds get closer to the room. Her heart pounds harder with each thud getting louder.

The door to Jenna's bedroom slowly opens with a creak. Lily dares a glance out from under the bed, and she sees two boots enter the room. They stop in the center. No doubt the owner of those boots is searching the room for any signs of them. Kevin had seen the stranger through the window walking up to the back door of the house. They all scrambled to hide any evidence and hide themselves.

Lily carefully checks to make sure her phone is set on vibrate, then tucks it underneath her to better muffle the sound. She watches as the boots make their way to where the computer is. _Good thing we turned off the search engine_, she thinks. She hears clicking and clacking and knows the stranger is trying to find what their recent history is.

She feels her phone vibrate on her stomach. Dare she check her phone now? She almost does - until she hears a growl and sees the boots turn away from the computer and closer to the closet. _Charlie_.

The door opens, and she can see Charlie huddling on the ground. She can't see his face, though she can hear his frantic breathing. "Found you, boy," the man sneers. He grabs Charlie by the collar of his shirt and lifts him up. Charlie gasps. "Thought you could 'ide from me? Oh, the boss is goin' to 'ave some fun with you, lad."

"No, no, please-"

"The boss was nice enough to give you a chance to join us. We coulda caught the Slender Man already with your help. We already caught that one lady, but we're still lookin' for that dapper fella."

Lily's heart is pounding as she slides out from under the bed as quietly as she can. Thankfully, the intruder hasn't turned around yet. She slowly, silently stands up.

"I-I-I don't know anything," Charlie says.

"That's not what the boss said. He said you were the monster's friend. Why else would 'e save you in the park?"

Lily jumps onto the man and wraps her arms tight around his neck. He releases Charlie and grabs at her, trying to break her grip. She doesn't let go, and he chokes. He stumbles around the room, looking for anything he can use to free him from Lily's death hold. Charlie comes up to him and punches him in the face. The man looks stunned for a moment, then he falls back onto the bed. Lily jumps off before she can be crushed under his weight, and pants.

"You alright?" she breathlessly asks Charlie.

He swallows and nods, staring at the stranger. "Yeah," he whispers.

They stay like that for a bit, but then the stranger's words register in Lily's mind. "They wanted you to join them?"

Charlie pales. "Uh, well-"

"You guys okay?" Kevin asks as he and his sister creak open the bathroom door.

"We're fine," Lily says, still looking curiously at Charlie.

"What's wrong?" Jenna asks, opening the door all the way and coming out. Kevin steps out behind her.

Lily crosses her arms and says, "Seems like Charlie's been holding out on us."

"No, Lily, it's not like that," he tries to tell her.

"What's going on? Really?" She narrows her eyes.

Charlie opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. He glances at his other friends, but they give him the same curious look. He sighs and plops down into the seat at the desk, eyes downcast. "When the Black Circle came for me, the boss said we shared a common enemy." He looks up at them. "He was talking about James. He wanted me to join them to bring James down."

"But you said no, right?" Kevin says.

Charlie looks away and scratches the back of his head. "Well, I didn't say no...but I didn't say yes either. This was before I saw James again though," he adds quickly.

"Wait," Lily says, her face scrunching up in thought. "He said they caught the lady."

"Margareta?" Kevin says, his eyes widening. "They got her?"

"And he said something about you being saved at a park," Lily notes. "What did he mean?"

Charlie thinks back to that day in the park. He'd found James behind the tree, he went to go bring his mom over, that one man stopped him and tried to give him something. The next thing he knew, he was being pulled back by James' tentacle arm. Did James save him from that man?

But how would the Black Circle boss know that?

"What's that?" Jenna asks, pointing at the man on the bed. Everyone gathers around and sees something sticking out of his pants pocket. Lily carefully pulls it out. It's a folded up piece of paper.

She opens it up and reads it. "It's a list of names," she says. "It has Eric Knudsen on it...And the Slender Four's on here, too."

A chill runs through Charlie's body.

Lily's face falls. "What is it?" Kevin asks.

"My sister's name is on here, too," she says. "She loved anything to do with the Slender myth. She drew a picture of a Slender once. Told me it was for her boyfriend." She hangs her head, her hair covering her face. "She was killed a few months ago."

Everyone gives her sympathetic comments, and Jenna gives her a side-hug and rubs her arm. Kevin gently takes the list from Lily and looks over it. "Uh, guys?" he says quietly. They look at him. His worried eyes stare at them as he says, "Trevor, Jenna, and me are on this list."

"What?" Charlie takes the paper from his friend and stares at the last three names on the list. _No..._

Muffled sounds. The four go to the window - and see Slender Man in the backyard. Along with a few of the Black Circle members. One of them has a camera, and the others are making scared poses. Slender Man positions himself behind a tree and looks out.

"What are they doing?" Kevin asks.

"It looks like they're taking a picture," Jenna says.

"But that's not the real Slender Man," Lily notices. She points at the figure. "See? He looks more the size of a human."

"You're right," Charlie comments. "And you can see more details of a face."

"It has to be a morph suit," Jenna says. "Remember those full-body costumes? And the guy just put a business suit on over it."

"But why are they taking pictures here?" Kevin wonders.

Someone grumbles

They turn around and see the intruder coming to. They quickly (and quietly) run out of the room. "Follow me," Jenna hisses, leading them to the front door. She looks through the peephole before opening the door and running out into the night, the others following behind.

They gasp and halt when James appears in front of them. "Sorry to startle you," he says. "Victor and I needed to talk to you, but those monsters showed up at the house. We weren't sure how to get close to the house without being spotted, since one of them had already made it inside. We saw you in the window and when you disappeared, we thought we'd meet you in front."

"Where is Victor?" Kevin asks.

"Behind you," a voice says.

The humans gasp and whirl around, seeing Victor standing a short ways away. He doesn't move.

"There's no need to be shy around them," James tells him.

Victor remains stick-straight, but glides forward a step. "I remember you," he says. "You're Karie's sister."

Lily's eyes widen. "You," she breathes. "You're the figure I saw through the haze."

"You know this guy?" Charlie says, dumbfounded.

Victor reaches out a hand to Lily, but she flinches back. He withdraws his hand. "You look so much like your sister," he sighs.

Lily, uncomfortable with the comparison, hugs herself and says, "She drew a picture of you. The likeness is...remarkable."

"She was always great with art."

Jenna leans over to her younger brother and whispers, "What's going on?"

"I don't know," he answers softly. "I'm still new to this."

Charlie watches this whole scene, trying to wrap his mind around what's going on. But then he recalls something. "Hey, Lily," he says, "didn't you say your sister was killed?"

Lily turns to him. "Yeah, she was."

"How does he know about her?" He motions to Victor.

James speaks up, "Victor, you said you were in love with a human. Was that human Lily's sister?"

Victor nods.

"Found ya!"

Everyone whirls toward the front door - the stranger is standing within the door frame. He makes as if to storm out of the house, but he does a double-take at Victor and freezes in surprise. "You!" he exclaims. "I thought you died in that fire!"

"What fire?" Kevin asks.

Victor's fists clench. "I am very much alive," he says as if through gritted teeth.

The intruder makes a whining sound. "The boss said you'd die along with that girl if we burned-"

"You killed Karie?" Victor seethes, appearing in front of the man and grabbing his throat. The man's eyes bulge.

"Victor, stop!" James yells, running forward to pull the Slender away. But Victor's many tentacles are flailing wildly about, serving as a shield. The humans all huddle together, too terrified to try to stop Victor. James growls in anger - and his torso stretches until he's ten feet tall. He stretches out his tentacles, and they are bigger and longer, too. He wraps three around Victor and his tentacles and uses his remaining limbs to pry the two apart. Finally, Victor's pale fingers release the man, and he collapses to the ground in fear, clutching at his throat and gulping in air.

"Victor, get a hold of yourself!" James commands in a deep growl.

"Let me go!" Victor writhes around.

Lily, still with her friends, screams, "Stop! Just stop it! Please!"

Victor hears her and turns his head to face her. He calms down, but his extra limbs are still out. James shrinks back to his original size (which is still tall) and one by one, withdraws his limbs from around Victor.

The Black Circle member shakily gets to his feet. "You'll all pay," he tells them, trying to sound intimidating but instead sounding scared. "You'll all pay for this! Starting with your blind friend!" He runs away.

"Trevor!" Kevin says. "We've got to save him!"

"How?" Charlie asks. "We can't just go in there and walk out with him! The doctors will catch us!" He looks at the Slenders. "And you guys can't go in there without being spotted."

"Actually," Victor says, tapping his chin, "we can."

**A/N: The mystery deepens. And I do not own that picture nor Victor Surge/Eric Knudsen; they come from Something Awful forums.**

**For those of you who have reviewed, thanks! :) It makes my day hearing what you have to say! Please keep reviewing! And if anyone has suggestions for phrases ('cause I'm running low), you can send me a PM. Last chapter's phrase was "It's only a flesh wound." I freaking love that line! :D This chapter's phrase was actually taken from someone's guess a couple chapters ago. Not many people are guessing :( , but I'll continue with the phrase thing for a few more chapters.**

**Good luck guessing! And thanks for reading! :)**


	12. Getting Trevor Out

The nurse walks out of the cafeteria with a cup of coffee and heads back to the front desk. Setting the cup down, she plops into her seat and begins clacking away at the computer. It's so quiet and boring. "Why'd I have to be stuck with the night shift?" she mumbles to herself.

"Excuse me?"

The nurse starts, not expecting anyone this late. "Can I help you?" she asks.

Kevin steps forward. "I'm here to see my friend," he says.

"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over. You can come back tomorrow at eight."

Shadows shift behind Kevin. The nurse blinks, but before she can think twice about it, her computer gets static-y. "What the heck?" She taps a couple keys on the keyboard, but the screen remains a black and white humming blizzard.

"Can you at least tell me what his room number is," Kevin continues, "so I can go straight there tomorrow? His name's Trevor King."

She looks up from her computer screen at him. "I remember you. You came in earlier today with that group to see him. Let's see..." She taps a couple of keys, but the screen doesn't change. She growls and squeezes her eyes shut as she tries to remember. "I believe his room's, uh...third floor...room 314."

"Thanks." Kevin turns and walks away. The shadows shift again - at the same time her computer goes back to normal.

"That's odd," she mutters. She takes a look at her coffee, then dumps the cup in the trash can.

* * *

Victor lets go of James when they appear in front of Trevor's room, and the shadows surrounding them vanish. "My head," Victor moans, rubbing his temples until his headache is gone.

"Trevor?" James softly calls out, ignoring the pressure in his head from the computer downstairs.

"James?" he answers. "Are you here?"

The said Slender pokes his head through the open door to room 314. "Trevor!" He strides into the room and next to the young man. "How are you feeling?"

"Bored."

"Really?" James asks.

"Well, yeah. There's nothing to do around here except sleep or stare at the wall, and one of those things I can't even do." He makes a face.

If James had a face, he'd be holding back a grin. "Trevor, we have to get you out of here."

"And miss the delicious food they have here?" He waves a hand to the table next to him, which has some sort of pale sorbet-substitute, prune juice, and mystery meat.

Victor heads to the window and looks down. "James," he says, "if we're gonna do this, we gotta do it quick." He turns away from the window. "They're here."

"Who's here?" Trevor asks.

James tells his friend, "The Black Circle. They're coming to kill you."

"Oh."

They hear footsteps hurrying down the hall. Victor stretches a hand out to James, and they both fade into the shadows. A doctor sticks his head in, looking around curiously. "Is everything alright in here?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah," Trevor says.

"I thought I heard voices."

"Uh, well...is there anyone else in this room?" Normally, he'd tell himself that was a stupid question - this time, he wonders if the doctor's stupid or if the Slenders are in fact gone._  
_

The doctor sputters, "W-Well, no, b-but I was sure I heard something coming from here." He gasps. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Trevor wishes he could see what's going on. What happened to James and Victor? Did they leave without him? What's the doctor talking about?

"There it is again," the doctor whines. "The cold hand."

"Er...'kay?" _Cuckoo._

"Don't you feel those icy fingers curling around you?"

"No. Wait," Trevor says. A smirk grows on his face as he realizes, "Is this supposed to be like one of those visits from death things, where there's cold air or something and everyone thinks it's a ghost or some sort of thing foreshadowing something ominous?"

"I hope not. No! Not my neck!" The doctor runs out of the room.

Victor and James snicker as they fade back into view (not that Trevor knows). "That was fun," James says.

"Was that you two?" Trevor says.

Victor says, "James is the one who did the cold hand. I just hid us in the shadows."

"Cool." The blind boy smiles.

"I do that kind of thing a lot whenever people come into my forest at night," James explains. "But enough about that. We need to go now."

Before one of James' elongated limbs can reach him, Trevor says, "Can I change first? As much as I look good in this hospital gown, I prefer my own clothes."

James drops the bag of clothes in Trevor's lap. "Hurry. Victor and I will be outside in the hallway if you need us."

When Trevor hears the last of their footsteps exit the room, he tears open the bag and dresses himself in record time for a blind boy. "I'm ready," he calls out. "But I need to find my stick first."

"Here," James says, thrusting the stick into Trevor's groping hand. James wraps an arm around Trevor and reaches another limb out to Victor, and upon contact, the three of them teleport to where the others are hiding behind the hospital.

"The Black Circle's here!" Kevin blurts out as soon as he sees the three of them.

"Yeah, we know," Victor says. "We saw them pull up in front."

"Guys," Jenna interrupts, "we need to figure out a place to hide. If those guys come around, they'll spot us."

"I know a place," Lily offers.

"Where is it?" James asks, wrapping more arms around the humans.

"It's on Elm Street."

"That's where you and your sister lived, isn't it?" Victor says.

She nods.

In a blink, they all arrive on Elm Street. Other than the streetlights, it's completely dark. All the houses have cars in the driveway or parked in the garage. But one house has a black car in front of it.

"Huh?" Lily walks up to that house. "My parents never had a black car."

"Uh oh," Jenna says. She points to something on the front of the car. "Look at that." Everyone gathers around.

In place of a license plate, someone scratched in a circle with an X.

**A/N: Hope you guys are liking the story so far!**

**Last chapter's phrase was "purifying." That one was tricky; I didn't expect too many people to guess it. (Also because I forgot to give a hint.) This chapter's phrase comes from a famous horror movie.**

**Good luck, and happy reading!**


	13. You!

"I assure you, Mister and Missus Fitzgerald, I hold your daughter's safety in high regards," he says.

The couple huddled together on the couch still don't trust this man. He came into their house fifteen minutes ago and since has been trying to get them to divulge information on their precious daughter, Lily. He told them he cared for her well-being and that he needed to speak with her at once.

It wouldn't be so hard trusting him if he took off the black hooded cape and pale smiley mask. The mask is creeping them out.

"Now," the strange and frightening man continues, "I'll ask again: where is your daughter?"

Mr. Fitzgerald, one arm around his wife, leans forward, a defiant look on his face. "Even if we did know where she is, why should we tell you? We don't even know you."

The man in the mask, with hands behind his back, casually takes a couple steps toward them, stopping short of the coffee table. "I'm sure you must have heard of me before. It was all over the news, wasn't it? Years ago."

"What are you talking about?" Mrs. Fitzgerald says, more confused (and slightly annoyed) than scared.

The stranger gives a small chuckle as he reaches up to lower the hood and take off the mask. At once, the parents recoil, their eyes wide and their jaws dropped. Both gasp at the sight of the man, at the scar on his left cheek, the crooked nose, the cold eyes.

"You!" the father cries out. "I...we...but-"

"You all thought I was dead, no?" He smooths out the front of his suit. "I merely disappeared for a few years to plan my revenge."

"Revenge for what?" the father says disbelievingly.

The man turns from the terrified couple and paces calmly along the carpet. "Normally, a person like me has no need for revenge. If I want someone out of the way, I just light their house on fire or I plan for them to be shot at a certain place and time. But one day, years ago, I was minding my own business, planning another murder, this time at a park." He stops pacing and looks at the couple. "The same park your daughter and her friends used to play at."

They gawk at him. "How-" the mother starts to say.

"A serial killer does his research well," the man interrupts, resuming his pacing. "I hadn't killed any children in a while and just when I had the pieces in place, that..._monster_ appeared." He stops pacing, his back to the Fitzgeralds. "That creature, that I so loathe and fear, blew my chances of pulling off a successful kill. I tried to turn the police against him, but one officer recognized me and nearly got me arrested. I made myself disappear then. Never had I been so scared in my life, but that face-" he snarls, "-that non-existent face...has haunted me throughout these years." His hands curl into fists, his eyes narrow, and his voice lowers. "It never goes away! It taunts me, reminding me _every single day_ how I let a pathetic _monster_ foil my plans!"

He growls and whips around, coming in very uncomfortably close to the parents. "I swore on that day I would never rest until I killed it and all its friends."

"There are more?" Mr. Fitzgerald asks. He recalls that creature - he'd taken Lily away from him as fast as he could - but he never thought there would be more like him.

The boss clears his throat and straightens, dusts off his cape. "Ever since that day, I've been turning everyone against the Slender Man. Making them so scared of him they'll do the job for me." He clasps his hands together in a businesslike manner. "And that's where your daughter comes in."

"Leave Lily out of this!" Mrs. Fitzgerald screams.

"I promise you I will not harm a single hair on your daughter's head...well, at least not yet."

"What makes you think we'll turn her over to you?" the father demands.

They gasp when the Black Circle leader takes out a gun and aims it at them. "I'll kill you both either way, but your cooperation will help me tremendously."

CRASH!

"What?" The boss, gun still pointed at the Fitzgeralds, steps sideways toward the window overlooking the driveway and the rest of Elm Street. He pulls back the curtain and sees his black car being wrecked by five kids. One's attacking the engine with a trash can, two are throwing rocks through the windows, one's kicking out the headlights, and one's whacking it with a walking stick. He smiles wickedly and sadistically. "Perfect," he says, for he recognizes all of them, despite it being dark outside.

Behind him, the Fitzgeralds gasp.

"What are you-" he starts to say to the couple. But when he turns around, they're not there.

"Run!" One of the kids outside says.

He looks back out the window. The five are running to two Slenders - two! - and the shocked parents are with the one in the dark suit and tie. When they all meet up, they vanish.

* * *

"Mom! Dad!" Lily says breathlessly as she throws her arms around her parents after James lets them go. "Are you guys okay?"

Neither of them answer that question. They're too busy staring at James and Victor.

James straightens his jacket while Victor lifts a hand and says, "Hello."

"Honey," her father says, holding her out at arm's length, "we have to get you out of here right now." He grabs her hand and starts to run.

"No, Dad," Lily says, pulling out of her father's grasp. She goes to stand between the two Slenders. "They're not dangerous. They're friendly."

"It's true, Mister and Missus Fitzgerald," Charlie says. "Those two have saved our lives."

"Charlie?" Mrs. Fitzgerald says. "What are you doing here? What do you mean they saved your lives?"

Charlie and Kevin exchange looks. "It's a long story," Charlie says.

Jenna speaks up, "What was the leader of the Black Circle doing at your house?"

"Who?"

"The creep with the mask that was talking to you."

"How do you know about that?" Mr. Fitzgerald says.

Lily says, "I snuck up to the house and peeked inside. One look at the leader and I knew we had to get you out of there. So-" she beams as she motions to all her friends, "-we totaled his car while James teleported inside and got you out."

"He had a gun pointed at them," James says.

"What?" Lily's eyes widen (not quite so much as her parents' are right now) and steps toward them. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Well, no, but..." Her parents look at each other, then at James, the Slender they recognize. "He wants to hurt you...and probably you, too." They motion to Victor.

"We know he hates us already," James says. He rubs the back of his pale head. "Although, we're not sure why he's getting you humans involved."

"The park," the mother whispers.

"Pardon?"

Mrs. Fitzgerald meets James' eyes (if he had any) and says, "It has to do with the park." She and her husband reveal everything that had happened in their house.

* * *

The boss clicks the button on the fob, and the car's lights flash twice. He presses the button that makes the garage door go up. "Since those brats ruined my car, I'll just take this one." He slides into the driver's seat and starts the car. As he pulls out onto Elm Street, he searches through the notes app on his smartphone for an address. He recognized two of the four kids from the park in that demolition mob. Have they contacted the other two? He needs to check. His plan could carry on without any of those four, but it would help much if he could get his hands on one.

How did Lily escape? He remembers distinctly sending men out to snatch her and throw her in the locked cell. He even made sure they had chloroform that time. How did she escape the mine?

It had to be those Slenders. He grits his teeth and growls as he turns onto another street. Next time, he's going to keep his prisoners near him. In the meantime, he turns on his music app and plays the Slender Man song.

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'm hoping this clears up why the Black Circle leader does what he does and why the guy in the park would give an explosive to a child. What will happen to our favorite Slender? Will they get to Margareta in time? Who else's parents will find out about the Slenders? Read on to find out!**

**Two people correctly guessed last chapter's phrase, which was "Elm Street." Congrats, Dtkcosplayer and clubby789! :D This chapter's phrase is related to ZipZipper. (You may have to look him up on YouTube.) Good luck, and happy reading!**


	14. Respite

The cult leader roughly comes to a stop in front of Tommy's house and nearly breaks the brake as he parks the car. To think two Slenders were right outside the house, and he missed them! He turns the car off - but then growls and punches the dashboard. His fists hurt, but he doesn't stop until he accidentally hits the horn. Cursing, he pulls out his cell phone and speed-dials one of the idiots in the Black Circle. The phone rings two and a half times before someone answers.

"H-Hello?" the other voice says.

"Are you done with the pictures?" The boss doesn't waste any time getting to the point.

"Yes, sir. We took plenty for you to look through."

"Bring them back to the mine. And have someone check on the Slender lady. Make sure she's not strong enough to escape."

The lackey hesitates.

"Do you understand?" the serial killer nearly shouts.

"Y-Yes, sir. Of course, sir."

"And make another copy of that list. I want one for myself, and I'm giving one to the police."

"...Um, sir?" The minion sounds very small. "W-We, uh, lost the list."

The leader blinks. "Lost the list?" His voice sounds eerily calm.

"Well, Joe was overpowered by those kids. They took the list."

The leader lays his head back against the headrest, closes his eyes, and laughs.

"Um, sir?"

He sits back up and opens his eyes. "You mean to tell me, that a bunch of young adults happened to take out one of the toughest members of the Black Circle, and get away with the list? Just like that?"

"Er...yes?"

He bangs the door open, his eyes darkening. "Find those kids," he says, his voice dangerously dropping. "Get back that list. I've worked too hard to let my plans be ruined by those pre-college brats." He hangs up, makes to throw away the phone but at the last minute stops. He growls and shoves the phone into his pocket, storming up to the front door. _I just need the boy_, he thinks. He knocks on the door with one hand, the other fingering his handgun.

* * *

James is sitting on the ground, taking in everything the Fitzgeralds said. All the misunderstanding, all the violence and crime, all the terror...is to get back at him? For stopping that psychopathic jerk?

"I remember," Charlie says, sitting on the ground and staring off into space, "that guy came by my apartment and said we shared a common enemy." He looks up at James with a guilty expression. "I don't think you're my enemy."

Trevor makes his way slowly over to his friend, extends a hand until he feels James' shoulder. "I'm sorry," he says softly. "No one should have to go through this."

James looks up at the blind boy, at everyone around him. Charlie, Lily, Kevin, Jenna, Victor, the Fitzgeralds. All the danger they were in. Because of him. "I'm so sorry," he says, his voice heavy. "None of you would be in any danger if it weren't for me."

"James," Lily says, rising to her feet and taking a couple steps towards him, "none of this is your fault. You saved Charlie from that creep, you protected all of us when he tried to come for us again. You had no idea he was gonna turn everyone against you and all other Slenders."

"And you saved me from those thugs in front of my house," Trevor speaks up. "You're my hero."

"See?" Lily gestures to the sullen Slender.

"Besides," Victor adds, leaning against a nearby tree, "people were bound to find out about us sooner or later. They keep cutting down our forests, and soon we won't have anywhere to hide."

Kevin, who's been silent this whole time, lifts his gaze. "Um, guys?" he says quietly. The others stare at him. He looks at the two Slenders. "Is there anybody else you know? Or who knows of you?"

James and Victor look at each other, then shake their heads. "No one that we can think of," Victor replies.

Kevin glances down again and rubs the back of his neck. "I've been thinking," he tells them. "About that list? Our names were on it."

"Right!" Lily pulls the list out of her pocket and unfolds it. "All our names are on it."

"Well...all the people on that list, I think, are related to the Slenders in some way."

Lily looks over the list. "Eric Knudsen's on this list, the Slender Four, Trevor, Kevin, Jenna, Karie..." Her voice trails off.

Jenna peeks over Lily's shoulder. "I recognize those names," she says, pointing to two other names. "Henry and Valerie Dingwall. I used to work with their daughter in the mall, but then her parents went crazy about some sort of tall, pale stalker and disappeared shortly after."

"Let me see that," Mrs. Fitzgerald says, holding her hand out. She looks over the list. "I recognize a few of these names from the news. They went missing and were found mutilated in the woods. They had some crude pictures of stick people." She embarrassedly glances up at James and Victor. "I assume the pictures were of you."

"But I've never mutilated anyone!" James says. "I can't think of any Slender who's done that!"

"Whoa, this guy's good," Charlie says. "He's been living under the radar for who knows how long."

"It's sick." Trevor would glare if he could, but all he can manage is a grimace. "He's willing to kill whoever to get to you, and he makes everyone think _you're_ the one doing it. Hasn't anyone seen anything out of the ordinary? Didn't anyone think about this guy?"

Mr. Fitzgerald speaks up, "Actually, there was a news report a few years ago. He was being chased by police, but then jumped into river rapids and was swept away. His body was never recovered."

"I bet he had some sort of device that kept him alive," Jenna says. "Or maybe even some followers back then."

Lily jumps and pulls her phone out of her pocket. "Man, that freaked me out," she mutters. She presses a button. "It's from Tommy." All the humans (except the Fitzgeralds) surround her. "He says he got the warning, he and his parents made it out of the house as someone was walking up, and they're heading into the forest."

"Why there?" Kevin asks.

"Probably because it's dark and no one can easily see them."

Charlie asks, "What about Peter?"

"Still no word from him."

"It sounds like the leader is already at their house," Trevor says. "Hope he doesn't hurt 'em."

"I'll go get them," James says, standing up. He raises his hand as everyone opens their mouths. "I feel responsible for dragging you humans into this, I'm going to make sure you stay safe under my watch."

"But what if he shoots at you?" Charlie says.

"Or if he has something electromagnetic?" Kevin adds.

A thought pops into Trevor's mind. Before he can stop himself, he blurts out, "How about more Slenders?"

He can feel James' gaze (sort of) upon him. "Are you crazy?" James says. "They could be hurt."

Trevor shrugs. "So could you. You and Victor are good at fighting and protecting us, don't get me wrong, but if there's a lot of bad guys around, it couldn't hurt to have more people, especially if we're gonna get Margareta out of that mine: some to go in and get her, some to be distractions, and some to take out some buttheads."

James brings a hand to his chin, mulling over the idea.

"The kid has a point," Victor tells him. "I can try to contact the rest of my clan. They all have shadow powers. It'd come in handy in the mine, since no one really knows how to get around in there."

James nods. "And my clan can stretch our torsos and arms extra long...Sure, I guess it couldn't hurt to have a few more Slenders." He disappears in a blink and returns a moment later with Tommy and his parents.

"Tommy!" Charlie and Lily say at the same time, going over to hug-attack their friend. The wary parents slink away to join the Fitzgeralds and demand in hushed voices what the heck is going on.

"Stay here," James tells them as he and Victor give each other a look, and each vanishes to his respective area.

James still hadn't found his original clan yet, but he remembers Alder Grobman offering his help that one time James arrived in the Black Forest too late. He hopes Alder is still willing to help. Once in the Black Forest, he calls, "Alder! Alder!"

"Hush," Alder says right behind him. "Someone may hear you."

"It's good to see you again, Mister Grobman."

"And you too, lad. How haff you been?"

"I'm in trouble."

"Again?"

"Not just me, but all Slenders are. A friend of mine has been captured, and if I don't turn myself in within a day, they'll kill her. And the cult leader knows there's more than one Slender."

"Oh. Zat's not good."

James shakes his head. "No, it's not. And I was wondering...well-" He rubs the back of his neck, "I remember you once offering to help me when we first met. Are - I mean, could you help me?"

Alder throws his arms out. "Of course, _herr_ Slenderman. It's ze least I could do for you."

Sigh. "Thank you so much!"

"Just let me get ze rest of our clans."

"Okay - wait, _our_ clans?"

Alder rests a hand on James, and the two of them teleport to a small clearing somewhere. Every Slender stops what they're doing and stares at James. He searches among the blank faces, but not once does he sense any familiar faces.

Then it hits him. That familiar buzz that only comes from members of his clan. But where? He keeps looking around at the people in front of him.

A voice behind him says, "Son?"

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long writing this. I had Writer's Block, then other commitments came up. But now it's done! :D**

**No one directly guessed last chapter's phrase (which was Slender Man song), but grandshadowseal came close, mentioning another song on YouTube. This week's phrase is from Wreck-It Ralph, something that Vanellope thinks of the big stinkbrain.**

**Edit: I got Tommy and Peter mixed up in some parts. All fixed now!**


	15. The Slender Four

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I've gotten busier, and I'm not gonna be able to update as often as I did.**

Peter and his family wait outside in their backyard for someone to pick them up, as Peter and Lily arranged via text. He can't believe it. The Slender Man! The very same person he met as a little boy! Part of him is eager to see the tall guy again, part of him is scared - after all, he knows very well about the myth and stories.

"Peter?" calls out a voice from behind. He jumps and turns around. He doesn't recognize this Slender, with his long, black jacket and red shirt.

Oh, wait. Lily said another Slender was coming. "Are you Victor?" Peter asks.

He nods. "I am. Are you all ready to go?"

"Uh..." Peter glances back: his parents look pale and stiff, and his little brother is staring with his mouth wide open and bug-eyes. "I guess so."

"Very well." Victor wraps his arms around the family and draws them closer before he teleports back to the others.

"Peter!" the rest of the Slender Four cry, rushing forward to hug their friend.

Victor lets the family go, and the parents (spotting Lily's and Tommy's parents) shuffle over to talk about how on earth the Slenders are real and what this means for the humans. He looks down and sees Peter's little brother still gawking at him. "Um, hi?" Victor says, giving a small wave.

The kid says nothing, just waves back slowly.

Peter, breaking apart from the group hug, spots his little awe-struck brother and goes over. "Ricky," he says, "this is Victor Slayerman. Victor, this is my brother, Ricky."

"He doesn't have a face," Ricky states, pointing at Victor's head.

"No, no he doesn't."

Sensing the awkwardness the poor Slender must be feeling, Lily comes forward. "Now, the whole gang's back together," she says, chipper.

"And we're all safe and sound," Tommy adds with a grin.

"So what now?" Charlie asks.

"We're still waiting for James to get back," Trevor nearly shouts from his seat next to Kevin. To beat the boredom, they're playing thumb war, and Trevor won nearly every game so far.

"What's taking him so long?" Jenna whines, her chin in her hands, elbows on her knees, eyes staring off into the distance.

Trevor shrugs. "Maybe it's taking him a bit longer to find his friends."

A sharp ringing fills the air, and Victor cries out and clutches his head. Shyly, Lily slinks away from the group and answers her phone. "Hello?"

"I will find you," hisses an all-too-familiar voice.

She feels her stomach do a flip as she recalls those blood-red eyes she saw back at the mine. Her voice squeaks, "What-"

"You and your friends might think you're safe," the cult leader cuts her off, "but I will hunt you down - _all of you_ - and finish what I started."

She hears Victor moan behind her. She needs to hang up soon. A question pops into her mind, and she blurts, "How did you get my number?"

"Just like I told your parents: a serial killer does his research well." Click.

It takes a moment before Lily pulls the phone away from her ear and closes it. She turns to Victor, who's surrounded by all the non-parents. "Are you okay?" she asks.

"That was a rather bizarre feeling," he says, rubbing his head. "Normally, a phone call just produces static that causes a mild headache. This time, I also felt booms going off in my head."

"Like in the Slender game?" Kevin says. The others (except Trevor) give him a now's-not-the-time look. "Sorry."

"What do booms usually mean?" Jenna asks.

"They mean danger's nearby," he explains. "But I've never felt booms and static at the same time."

Lily guiltily holds up her phone and says, "Erm, the Black Circle leader just called me and said he was gonna hunt us all down."

"Oh, that's bad!" Kevin says.

"What are we gonna do?" Peter says.

"You guys weren't planning to do anything without me, were you?" James says from behind the whole group.

"James!" Trevor says with a huge grin, stumbling forward a bit until he feels the tall lug and gives him a tight hug.

"You're back!" Charlie says and also comes forward, though not giving him a hug.

"Did you find help?" Victor asks.

If James could smile, he would. "Better. I found my clan."

"Really?" Trevor, Kevin, Jenna, Lily, and Charlie say at the same time.

"Where are they?" Peter asks, scanning the area.

"Near Chestnut Park."

The Slender Four immediately remember the day they all met Mr. Slenderman. They all smile at the memory - even Charlie, who's come to trust James more. "Are we going there now?" Tommy asks.

"I wanna come," Ricky pipes up. "I like playing there."

"Honey," says his mother, coming up to him, "I think it's best if we let them all go by themselves for now."

Ricky pouts.

"Hey, buddy," Peter says, turning to his little brother, "if anyone starts playing, or we need help, I'll let you know."

"Okay," Ricky says.

"We'll stay here," Mr. Fitzgerald says, "to keep everyone company." Tommy and Peter's parents all nod their agreement.

James nods at him before he and Victor teleport everyone to the park. "Whoa," Kevin and Charlie breathe.

"What's it like?" Trevor asks, really bummed that he's missing out on one of the coolest sights ever.

"So many Slenders, buddy," Kevin tells his friend. "It's actually kinda creepy, all those blank faces."

"Aw, man," Trevor grumbles, crossing his arms as best he can while still holding his walking stick.

James steps around the group and meets up with another Slender in a blazer, shirt, and slacks walking up to him. "So these are the humans you told us about," Kendrick says.

"Yep." James points to each human in turn and introduces them. "And these four-" he wraps a tentacle arm around Charlie, Lily, Peter, and Tommy, "-are the famous Slender Four."

All the Slenders are excited. They'd heard about the four humans from that fateful day, but none had met them.

"And this," James says, extending an arm to the German clan leader, "is Alder Grobman."

"The guy you met in the Black Forest?" Trevor says, his face lighting up. "So cool!"

"Guten abend," the said Slender says.

James turns to Victor. "Think you can get your clan? I think the powers of three clans should be enough."

"Sure. I'll be right back." Victor disappears in a blink.

"What are your powers?" Jenna asks the German Slender.

"Hypnosis," he replies.

Kevin leans into Charlie and whispers, "Maybe that's where the proxy thing comes from."

"Vat did you say?"

"Nothing," Kevin says hurriedly.

Kendrick peeks around James. "And who is that young man?" he asks, motioning to Trevor, who's looking off in the wrong direction.

James snakes an arm over and gently turns Trevor to face Kendrick. "This is Trevor, my first human friend."

Trevor smiles. He likes the sound of that.

BZZZ!

Several Slenders around Peter groan and clutch their heads, backing away from the boy. "Sorry," he says sheepishly before moving away from the group. The signal returns to his phone and the static goes away when he's a few yards away from them, allowing him to check his text.

"What's that?" Tommy asks, coming over.

"It's from my cousin. I should've told you guys, but I contacted my cousin and told her about our situation with James and that cult guy. She just said she can help us."

"Who is she?"

"She's a huge Slender fan. She calls herself BirdieCurls."

"Cool."

Peter nods, sending a reply text. "I told her about the mining facility, but I don't know what she's gonna do."

"Hope she doesn't show up. No offense," Tommy quickly adds after seeing the look on his friend's face, "but we don't want anyone else getting hurt."

"True."

They hear people gasp behind them and they turn around - Victor is back, along with his clan.

But they look worn out and beat up. Some of their clothes are ripped.

"What happened?" James asks, pushing his way to the front and helping Victor up from the ground.

Victor gratefully takes James' hand and slowly stands up, leaning onto James for added support. "It was," he pants, "the Black Circle."

**A/N: Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! :)**

**Lots of people got last chapter's phrase, which was "You're my hero." I love that line from Wreck-It Ralph! :3 I am so thrilled that I got to 50 reviews! I wasn't expecting any more than, say, ten or twenty at the most. So this is great. Thanks y'all for commenting! As a reward, I made the 50th reviewer this chapter's special phrase, and she'll show up later in the story, too. :) I'll do something similar if I get to 100 reviews.**

**Glad you're enjoying the story, guys!**


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